Mad world
by Scetchbook123
Summary: Human!stuck- When 3 new students show up at the begining of the year Karkat and his friends discover how small the world is as they find connections to each other through the past. Even their siblings connect them to each other. As relationships and drama come and go, will they be able to keep together though this mad, mad world?
1. Chapter 1

"Brother, come on. It's time to get up." Kankri starts shaking my shoulder. "Ugh. Fuck off I'm tired." I moan in reply. "We both need to get to school and I refuse to let you be late." He pulls the blanket off of me. "Fine I'm coming. Just let me wake up." I turn over and slap his hand away.

He leaves the room and I am left to get ready at last. I grab my black turtleneck, my gray jeans, and I start changing.

I step out of my room and walk to the kitchen.

We live in a small two story house in a pretty crappy neighborhood. No drugs (That we know of) or anything like that. But when you think of where I live, the last thing that comes to anyone's mind, is nice. It's a pretty simple lay out, walk in the front door, turn to your right and your in the living room. Keep going straight you walk next to the kitchen bar that is of coarse facing the tiny kitchen.

Pass the kitchen is a set of stairs that lead straight to my room, the wall to the right has a door for Kankri's room.

On the first floor, behind the stairs and to the left, is my dad's room. The only good thing I can say about this place is that there aren't any leeks in the roof and we don't have to share bathrooms.

I live here with my brother Kankri and our dad. Kankri is a collage student, and a huge goody-2-shoes if you ask me. The only thing good about him being that way is that it takes a load off dad.

Our mom died 3 years ago and dad has been pretty depressed since. He still tries to help with the house, he asks how our day was even though he isn't listening. I get pretty mad at him sometimes.

I hate it when I do that because I know it isn't his fault, but I can't help it.

I'm pretty normal I guess. I go to high school just like everybody else, and I have a group of friends.

I could probably go without them since they are the most annoying sacks of shit ever. But I guess they help me get out of the house more. I play guitar sometimes, I don't show that skill to people but I'm proud of it. Not as proud as I am about my extensive romantic movie collection. I'm pretty sure I have every one invented. This is where if I was talking to a real person my nose would be in the air as I brag.

I sit down at the bar and pour some cereal and milk that Kankri already had out like every morning.

"Karkat I believe it would be smart for you speed things along and wash your bowl as to not be late for the first day back at school." Kankri says as he puts his bowl in the sink to wash it.

"What is wrong with letting them pile up before washing them?" I ask. "Karkat that is disgusting Do you have any idea how much bacteria can stick to the dishes if you don't wash them right away?" He replies. "Ugh, whatever." I say and put my bowl in the sink. I rinse it off like he asked while he puts away the milk and cereal box.

"Let's go." I say and grab my back pack off the floor as I walk to the door. He soon follows and we head out. He has to drive because as I am 16, I still don't have my license. Yeah... I failed my first test and have to re-take it next week. It's not my fault they put me in a different car then what I'm used to driving. I guess the kind of crap Kankri drives and the crap they have you drive are completely different kinds of crap. Whatever, moving on.

I get out of the car and wave goodbye to Kankri as I stuff my hands in my pockets and run inside.

I always get fucking soaked because of the never ending rain storms in this shitty town. It doesn't matter how fast you run, you get wet.

I head to my locker and stuff my back pack in it. I close it and hiding behind the door was Sollux.

He is one of my best friends but frankly is annoying as fuck with his snarky attitude And the lisp doesn't help. When I see him I jump back since I didn't know he was there. "Hey Kk." He says.

"Ugh, do you have to do that lord ass hole?" I ask. "What a great hello. And yeth. Yeth I do." He replies. As if it wasn't enough that he surprised me, I can't even see his face right away since the bastard is so fucking tall. He is easy to spot in a crowed thanks to his weird and surprisingly natural, spiky dirty blond hair, and the fact he always wears weird as fuck glasses. One lens is blue and the other is red. I guess he isn't embarrassed by those being his eye colors. The only way I can know it's him without having to look up is the fact that his shirt has the roman numeral 2 on it and his jacket is yellow.

We head to our first class. Fun, chemistry. We sit at the same 2 person table we always sit at.

At least they cleaned the beakers this year. Last year started and it sucked because everything smelled like barf. The warning bell goes off and the rest of the class floods in. The room gets filled with a roar of talking morons as we wait for our teacher. I hope it's someone new. The teacher last year was a worthless piece of shit and probably already drank away the few braincells he had left, they should bulldoze the school that gave him a teaching degree! Um, sorry. I was ranting in anger again.

The final bell rings and there is still no teacher. "Where the fuck is this guy?" I ask. "Probably thomeone new who walked into the wrong clath room or thome shit." Sollux replies. He's probably right. In walks a teacher. Long dark brown hair, big round glasses, and a white lab coat over a white shirt and a long blue skirt. Following behind her is a girl, she might be shorter then me. I'm considered sort so she's like, tiny. She has a dark pink shirt with a bright pink heart on it, shorts that match the heart and underneath them, tights that match the main color of her shirt. Over top is a dark green coat that is probably a few sizes to big for her. And if that didn't throw off any fashion sense she had she also has a deep blue cat hat that covers most of her short light brown hair. "Hello class, I'm your new chemistry teacher, you can call me Jade. This here is a new student. Introduce yourself." She says, to finish he gestures to the girl.

"I'm Nepeta." She says with a small smile, revealing sharp K9 teeth. "You can take a seat at that empty table back there." He says to her and points to a table near the back. "Now, I see that you all picked where you want to sit. But even though I don't know any of you yet, I think I have a guess at where I think you should be. Everybody come up here. Nepeta you can stay there though." She says. Everyone stands up and moves to the front so she can start pointing us to tables. After a while she gets to me and Sollux.

"You, name?" She asks like she asked everybody else. "Thollux." He answers. "Ok, Sollux. You can sit with Nepeta back there." She says politely. Sollux does as he's told. I kinda feel bad for him, getting stuck back there with the new kid. They are always the clueless ones. "And you?" She asks me. "Karkat." I answer. "Huh, you all have kind of funny names. But I think it just means your gonna be the funnest to have in my class." She says. I growl at her. I curse her out in my head and sit down. "Hi! What's your name again?" The girl next to me asks. "Karkat." I answer. "Nice to meet you! I'm Feferi!" She replies. Holy shit, she is so fucking happy. The first thing I see when I look at her is a mess of orange/brown hair. Has she ever had a hair cut? Shit it's long. Jade assigns everyone else to their seats and starts the class. Which I completely zoned out for so there is no need to tell you anything about it.

After class Sollux catches up with me since we have another class together next. Shit, the new girl is following him. "Kk, wait up." He says. "Walk faster then." I reply. "You know your being followed right?" I ask as I look at the tiny girl. "Heh, thith ith Nepeta. Nepeta thith ith Kk." He says.

She looks up at me and smiles. Shit, she really does have sharp teeth. How does she have conversations with Sollux? He is 5'9'' and she is even short then me.

"What clath do you have next?" He asks her. "English." She answers. "Well, we have hithtory but the clathroomth are right next to each other tho we'll walk you there." He says. "Ok." She replies.

Are all of the girls here full of fucking energy? "I'll thee you after clath." Sollux says when we get there. She smiles at him and walks into the classroom. He and I go to our seats and wait for the teacher. "Ok, spill it." I say as soon as he sits down. "What?" He asks. "You never talk to new people. What gives?" I ask. "Heh. Oh that." He replies with a snicker. "Don't tell me your going after her!" I say. He just give me a glance from the side and grins. "What about waiting for Aradia?" I ask. His grin fades as he turns toward me.

"Kk. She'th been in a coma for 3 years. That meanth the chance of her waking up ith even thmaller now. I need to move on." He replies. I look at the floor. He has a good point.

Aradia was his girlfriend 3 years ago. Some fortune telling bitch caused her to get in a car crash while he was driving. She's been in a coma ever since. And he always blamed himself even though he knows who caused it. He's always saying shit like "I could have stopped it. But I didn't." even though everyone knows that it isn't true. There is a very slim chance he could have done anything and even if he could have, he had no way of knowing what was happening. Yeah, he didn't have a license obviously. But he was convinced that he could prove something to his billionaire dad if he did something big. She wanted to come so he let her but then the crash happened. I feel bad for the guy.

Before I can reply to him the teacher walks in and the final bell rings. "Hello class, I'm your new History teacher Rose Lalonde. You may be wondering why there are so many new teachers, this is because the school is making some big changes to welcome some very important new students.

There are many of us new teachers, and the entire school has been cleaned from top to bottom. All of the supplies has been replaced as well. I hope you all will do a good job of welcoming the new students and they will be introduced to you all at lunch. Now let's begin." She explains.

Greeeeaaaaat. Some newbies we have to kiss up to.

At lunch Sollux and I sit together like normal. And Rose was right, this place is spotless.

"Attention." The principle shouts. Everyone shuts up and looks over at him. "I would like to introduce you to our newest students. Come on." He says and gestures to a few kids.

"This is Feferi Peixes. Her mother is the owner of very large sea life sanctuary. She is the heir to this company." Huh. That's the girl I sat next to. She is wearing a black tank top, and pink and blue long skirt, and has a black winter coat. "Hello! Nice to meet you all!" She says with her insanely cheery smile. "And this is Eridan Ampora. His father runs and owns a multi billion dollar whaling and fishing company." He continues as gestures to a um.. How do you describe this guy? Blue and black striped pants, a purple long sleeved shirt, a scarf that looks the some as his skinny jeans, and stupid hipster glasses. On top of that retarded outfit is his weird wavy brown hair with a blond piece that flips up at the front. Basically he looks like a snobby hipster that doesn't own a fucking mirror.

He doesn't even say hello, just goes "Hmmf."

"Finally, this is Nepeta Leijon. Her family runs a art gallery out of state and has transferred here to stay with her sister." He finishes. He says something else to the 3 of them and they walk all the way in to find a place to sit down. Eridan and Feferi stick together but Nepeta comes to join me and Sollux.

"Hello again." She says as she sits down. "Hey Nep. Why didn't you tell uth you were a famouth tranthfer?" Sollux jokes. "Hehe. I don't know why the school made such a big fuss about me being here. Or the other 2 for that matter. It's our parents they should be bragging about, not us." She says.

"Yeah. Funny thing ith, I came here right before my dad'th company went huge. If I thtarted thchool a year later then I did they would have done the thame for me." He replies. It's true. "Your dad owns a company?" She asks. "Yeah, computerth and shit. I think that'th why I'm tho awethome with 'em."

He brags. "Oh, that's pretty cool." She replies. "His hobbies include making viruses and hacking into his dad's company to fuck with stuff. What a great set of skills." I say. "Shut up Kk. Your jutht jealouth because you can't code for shit." He replies and she starts giggling. Hmf, doesn't he look happy to have made her laugh. "So what was that about staying with your sister?" I ask. "Oh right. She is going to collage here and I wanted to come with her. We're really close so I can't stand the thought of her being gone for 4 years." She answers. "Heh, if you ask me siblings are useless." I reply and lean back in my chair. "Kk, don't be an ath becauthe you don't like Kankri." Sollux butts in. "You have a brother?" She asks. "Yeah. Mister know it all is in collage to. He never shuts up about the most annoying things and is always digging into my private life. Drives me fucking insane." I answer. "Huh. Do you have a sibling too Sollux?" She asks.

"Yeah, older brother like Kk, he ithn't thtarting collage until next year but he hangth out there all the time to be with hith girlfriend. But he can be thuch a pain thometimeth. Ever thince he was in a accident last year he'th been different. Now if he ithn't falling on hith ath or having a thpaz attack, he's folding into a push over who never thtopth apologizing for the dumbetht shit." He answers.

"Oh. That's sad." She replies. "I gueth. He always endth up with thomeone taking care of him. It'th either me or hith girlfriend." He says. "What do your bothers look like anyway? I met a bunch of people at my sisters collage so maybe I know them." She says. "Mituna ith eathy to thpot becauthe he not only wears the brightetht yellow shirtth, but he altho has a thtupid helmet all the time. It's just ath bright ath his shirt but it ith even more distracting cauthe it covers his eyeth with red and blue lentheth." Sollux answers. "Hehe! He tried to grind a rail on the outside stairs and fell on his face. I was gonna help him but his girlfriend was already there. I think it's his girlfriend anyway." She replies. "Red glatheth and a outfit made of black and teal or whatever?" He asks. "Yup!" She answers. "What about your brother?" She turns to me. "He wears a bright red sweater 24-7 and stupid black tights." I answer. "I think I saw him there. There were some people groaning and whispering to each other while a guy was talking about something called a trigger." She says. "That's him alright. Just, don't ask him what it is. I did but I still don't know because of his never ending babbling" I reply.

"Hm. Your just a ass aren't you?" She asks. She still looks as innocent as she has this entire time. But now she insulted me. Before I can reply, Sollux butts in. "Hahaha! She really pegged you didn't she Kk?" He laughs. I'm gonna ring his skinny neck. My eye twitches. "Yeah yeah. Laugh it up now. Do you want me to get revenge with words now or later?" I ask. "Now ith good." He answers.

"Ok. Nepeta was it? Did you know that when he was 13 he got talked into driving a car to get his dad's attention by a spider bitch who thinks she can grant people good or bad luck?" Yeah. I went there. His smile fades into a angry frown. "Real nice Kk. Bring that up." He replies. "At least I didn't mention how the girl in the car with you went into a coma because you didn't know what you were doing. Oops, looks like a just did." I say. Wait. Fuck. Damn it! He stands up, his hair falls over his eyes and he marches off. "Aw fuck." I mumble. Before I can go after him Nepeta springs up.

"What is wrong with you?" She says and runs after him.

I.. I don't know. What is wrong with me? Fuck..

We don't any more classes together until right before school ends. And there is gym to but frankly. Does anybody want to hear about the rest of my day? I didn't think so.

**Author's note!**

**FInally my big deal of a story is being posted! I hope you liked the first chapter, this idea was made up by Kira Y**

**There are still some more characters I'm going to introduce later on.**

**Humans – Teachers**

**Main trolls – Students**

**Dancestors – Older siblings**

**Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2: Another view

I hate waking up in the morning. It means I have to be ignored by my father, annoyed by my brother, and worst of all. It reminds me what a freak I am for hearing things. I always hear things. By the end of the day they can be pretty bad, that's why I like sleep. Waking up reminds me it's going to start all over again. But it's the first day back at school so I don't have a choice.

I get up and walk to the closet. I pull out my black T-shirt, the one with the number 2 on it of coarse.

My light gray jeans with the straps hanging to the side, and my yellow jacket. I shove on my black and white sneakers and go to Mituna's room to wake him up. Lazy slump.

"Mituna. Mituna! Wake the fuck up already." I shake his shoulders until he wakes up.

"Huh? Do I have to?" He whines. "Yeth." I reply. I walk out and to the kitchen.

I would say I live here with my brother and my dad. But let's face it. Dad is never here and never has been so it is pretty just me and Mituna. He had an accident last year and got some brain damage.

Now he is babbling idiot. Don't get me wrong, he was always a big goof. But he used to be cool, didn't wear that stupid helmet, and he could actually function. Now... He can still kick ass in video games, he is pretty ok with computers still, but he falls over all the fucking time. He is so sensitive to.

He is normally pretty fine, but you can't touch him. People think it just makes him uncomfortable but if you don't let go or if you shock him, he will have a bad muscle spasm. It's kinda scary.

I stand in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, and look around.

It's a big house on a hill. No neighbors. Almost all of the walls are made of glass the floor and actual walls are made up of large smooth whit tiles. After you walk through the front door there is a big living room to your left that is filled with black furniture. To the right is a black breakfast table. Keep going straight a bit and there is the kitchen to your right, again, everything is black and white. And to the back there is a set of stairs that lead you to a hall. At the end of said hall there is a door to my room, to the left of it is Mituna's room. And at the end of a left turn there is dad's room. No one is aloud to enter dad's room.

In the back we have a stupid huge pool and blocking it is a glass garage. So much fucking glass. I don't know why. It is always storming and freezing so it seems like the dumbest thing ever.

I Grab the plate of food already made for me and stick it in the microwave. The good thing about having a rich dad is that you don't have to cook or clean. Muahaha-basically I'm a lazy bastard.

I sit at the breakfast bar that guards the kitchen and eat while I wait for Mituna to come down.

I heated up his food too. I hate how quiet it is in here... Sometimes I think that's why I started hearing voices. To fill my want of sound and life. But that's a little to deep for me so I doubt it.

Mituna trips down the stairs like always. I guess that's why he wears that dorky helmet.

"Arhfkfgdf!" Yup. That's him alright. "Hey Mitnua. Breakfatht on the counter." I say once he has stopped falling. He stands up. And walks over. "Thankth Thollux." He says and grabs the plate.

Yes we both have a lisp. The shity thing is, it's because we have a weird over bite and the teeth sticking out are kinda sharp. So we aren't just lisping weirdos, we're _creepy _lisping weirdos.

"Thee ya later." I say as I grab my back pack, sling it over my shoulder, and head out.

By the time I get there my mind set has been bumped up. Mornings are always slow. But I get in a better mood by the time I get there. That's why I always walk. I have a car, I can drive, I just like walking. It gives me time to get my swag on.

Literally, I got some serious cool kid bounce in my step by the time the walk is over.

I walk over to my locker and stuff my shit inside. I got here before Kk today. Time to scare him.

I hide around the corner, he puts his stuff away, I stand behind the door. Then he closes it and jumps back. "Hey Kk." I say. "Ugh, do you have to do that lord ass hole?" He asks. I grin, "What a great hello. And yeth. Yeth I do." I reply. I look down at his angry face. He is like, 5'3'' so I'm kinda like a skyscraper to him. We head to our first class, chemistry. The only reason I don't hate this class is all the numbers put into the science. We sit down at the same table we sat at last year. I notice a lack of disgusting smells this year. Must be something going on. "Where the fuck is this guy?" He asks.

Probably not expecting me to answer but what the hell. "Probably thomeone new who walked into the wrong room or thome shit." I reply. The new teacher walks in. She's kinda pretty I guess, last year we had a fast lazy bum of a guy so this should be better. Long brown hair, slight over bite, lab coat?

I guess that's 2 good things about this class now. Behind her is a new girl. Hmm.

"Hello class, I'm your new chemistry teacher, you can call me Jade. This here is a new student. Introduce yourself." She says, to finish he gestures to the girl.

"I'm Nepeta." She says with a small smile, revealing sharp K9 teeth. "You can take a seat at that empty table back there." She says to her and points to a table near the back. "Now, I see that you all picked where you want to sit. But even though I don't know ay of you yet, I think I have a guess at where I think you should be. Everybody come up here. Nepeta you can stay there though." She says and everybody stands up to be assigned to new seats. Most of then moaning at the fact they will be separated from their friends. I keep my eye on that new girl though.. She's kinda cute...

Be easier to get a good look at her if her hat wasn't sticking her short hair onto her face. Kind of a lot of pink in her outfit, the jacket clearly has sentimental value. If it didn't she wouldn't be wearing it, obvious, judging by the rest of her outfit she clearly has a fashion sense. Maybe her parents?

Sibling maybe? Oh shit, teacher talking to me. "Your name?" She asks. "Thollux." I answer.

"Ok Sollux. You can sit with Nepeta back there." She says. Maybe this chick knows what she's talking about. I sit down and zone out everyone else so I can pay attention to her. "Hi, I'm thollux." I say and hold out a hand. "I'm Nepeta. Nice to meet you." She replies and shakes my hand with the same smile she had when she came in. "Tho I'm guething your new in town?" I ask. "Yeah. I just moved here." She answers. "Well if you need any help finding your way around town give me a call." I say and hand her a piece of paper with my number on it. "I will." She giggles. Ok, she's totally cute.

Before I can say anything else Jade starts drawing on the chalk board to start the class.

Once we get set free I stand up and gesture for Nepeta to follow me. She nods and follows me out.

Kk had already left so I run to catch up with him. "Hey Kk, wait up." I say.

"Walk faster then." He replies. "You know your being followed right." He says as he looks at Nepeta.

"Heh, thith is Nepeta. Nepeta, thith ith Kk." I say. She looks up at him and smiles. They are only a inch or 2 apart but still enough that she can't look him straight on. He just roles his eyes and keeps walking. "What clath do you have next?" I ask. "English." She answers. "Well, we have hithtory but the clathroomth are right next to each other so we'll walk you there." I reply. "Ok." She says with her cute little spark of energy. You don't meet many people like her around here.

"I'll thee you after clath." I say as we stop in between the classrooms. She just smiles at me and walks into her classroom. We walk over to our seats, "Ok, spill it." He says as soon as I sit down.

"What?" I asks. "You never talk to new people. What gives?" He ask. "Heh. Oh that." I replies with a snicker. "Don't tell me your going after her!" He say. I just give me a glance from the side and grin. "What about waiting for Aradia?" He ask. My grin fades as I shift in my seat to look him dead on. "Kk. She'th been in a coma for 3 years. That meanth the chance of her waking up ith even thmaller now. I need to move on." I reply. I have been thinking about this for a while now actually

It's just. I let out a deep breath. It's kinda hard to think about moving on from her. She was my girlfriend 3 years ago. I wanted to get revenge on my dad for being such a shit head, so when Vriska said she had a way to do that I didn't care what it was. She just said we had to meet up, but the place she picked is to far away for me to bike there, I took my dads car. Not like he ever used it, and I already knew how to drive so I thought it made perfect sense. Clearly it doesn't though.

Aradia said it seemed fishy, she wanted to come with me in case something bad happened. She could call the police if I couldn't. And even though she didn't say it, the girl was just as strong as me and I took self defense lessons. She would be good to have around if a fight broke down. So I let her come. But on the way there... A big truck came around the corner, I don't know if he thought he had the right of way or something but it didn't matter. The girl I loved was sent into a coma because of me.

Yes I still think it's my fault. I was driving wasn't I? And didn't you hear how dumb I was anyway?

No one really knows any of these details though. Kk kept telling me how it wasn't my fault.

Vriska sure got into a hell lot of trouble, no one would tell us why. So everyone assumed she set it up. But I just... Even if she did make that happen, I'm the one who let Aradia come, I'm the one who was such a punk I wanted to anything to get back at my father, I could have said no..

I take a deep breath. Let's just... Get back to reality.

I realize I had my eyes close while lost in thought. I glance over at Kk, he is staring at me.

I must have looked pretty weird. I look to the front of the classroom and it has already started.

Well, there goes any chances of me knowing what the hell is going on today.

After class we go to lunch and sit at the same table we always sit at. I wonder where Nepeta is though. She wasn't in the classroom when we finished. I haven't seen her since then really.

Then the principle comes out and starts rambling on about these new kids. I don't really care what he is saying because I don't know them, and if I ever meet them I don't want it to be because of whatever bull shit their parents do for a living. Unless there is a hacking company I can work for, I don't give a fuck. Oh, did you hear that? Yes, that's my "I don't give a fuck" cool kid vibe showing up.

Of coarse there is more then one type of cook kid swag! Don't be ridiculous!

When I walk in school it is the normal version. By lunch it's clearly I don't care. And then as lunch goes on I get into over all awesome. My swag is only ever _really_ on when I'm in front of a screen.

TV, computers, video games, doesn't matter. I am the swaggiest dude when those get turned on.

Yeah, I perk up during lunch.

I am completely lost in thought until I hear "Nepeta Leijon" I look over and see him introducing her to everyone. Once the announcement finishes she skips over and sits down next to me.

"Hello again." She says. "Hey Nep. Why didn't you tell uth you were a famouth tranthfer?" I joke.

"Hehe. I don't know why the school made such a big fuss about me being here. Or the other 2 for that matter. It's our parents they should be bragging about, not us." She says.

"Yeah. Funny thing ith, I came here right before my dad'th company went huge. If I thtarted thchool a year earlier they would have done the thame for me." I reply.

"Your dad owns a company?" She asks. "Yeah, computerth and shit. I think that'th why I'm tho awethome with 'em." I brag to mess with Kk. "Oh, that's pretty cool." She replies.

"His hobbies include making viruses and hacking into his dad's company to fuck with stuff. What a great set of skills." Kk complains. He's just jelly. "Shut up Kk. Your jutht jealouth because you can't code for shit." I reply. She starts giggling. "Tho what was that about thtaying with your thithter?" I ask. "Oh right. She is going to collage here and I wanted to come with her. We're really close so I can't stand the thought of her being gone for 4 years." She answers.

"Heh, if you ask me siblings are usless." He replies and leans back in his chair. "Kk, don't be an ath becauthe you don't like Kankri." I butt in. "You have a brother?" She asks. "Yeah. Mister know it all is in collage to. He never shuts up about the most annoying things and is always digging into my private life. Drives me fucking insane." He answers.

"Huh. Do you have a sibling too Sollux?" She asks. "Yeah, older brother like Kk, he ithn't thtarting collage until next year but he hangth out there all the time to be with hith girlfriend. But he can be thuch a pain thometimeth. Ever thince he was in a accident last year he'th been different. Now if he ithn't falling on hith ath or having a thpaz attack, he's folding into a push over who never thtopth apologizing for the dumbetht shit." I answer.

"Oh. That's sad." She replies. "I gueth. He always endth up with thomeone taking care of him. It'th either me or his girlfriend." I say. "What do your bothers look like anyway? I met a bunch of people at my sisters collage so maybe I know them." She says. "Mituna is easy to spot because he not only wears the brightest yellow shirt, but he also has a stupid helmet all the time. It's just as bright as his shirt but it is even more distracting cause it covers his eyes with red and blue lenses." I answer. "Hehe! He tried to grind a rail on the outside stairs and fell on his face. I was gonna help him but his girlfriend was already there. I think it's his girlfriend anyway." She replies. "Red glasses and a outfit made of black and teal or whatever?" I ask. "Yup!" She answers.

"What about your brother?" She asks and turns to Kk. "He wears a bright red sweater 24-7 and stupid black tights." He answers. "I think I saw him there. There were some people groaning and whispering to each other while a guy was talking about somethings called a trigger." She says. "That's him alright. Just, don't ask him what it is. I did but I still don't know because of his never ending babbling" He replies.

"Hm. Your just a ass aren't you?" She asks. She looks so innocent still! I'd better cut him off before he blows a fuse at her. That and she's fucking hilarious! "Hahaha! She really pegged you didn't she Kk?" I laugh. He is probably cursing me out in his head, I can tell because his eye is twitching.

"Yeah yeah. Laugh it up now. Do you want me to get revenge with words now or later?" He asks. "Now ith good." I answer. "Ok. Nepeta was it? Did you know that when he was 13 he got talked into driving a car to get his dad's attention by a spider bitch who thinks she can grant people good or bad luck?" He did not just go there. My grin fades away. I try to look angry but the truth is I'm just hurt. "Real nice Kk. Bring that up." I reply. "At least I didn't mention how the girl in the car with you went into a coma because you didn't know what you were doing. Oops, looks like a just did." He finishes.

I want to hit him. I want to scream at him and hit him! But I can't do that now can I?

I stand up and storm out with my hands in fists.

I stop once the cafeteria door closes behind me. Then I continue to slowly walk as students scramble to lunch. Once the hall is empty I put my back against the wall and slide down. I can't believe he brought that up. Nepeta bursts through the doors and races over to me. She drops to her knees and slides over. "Sollux are you ok?" She asks. I rub my eyes with the palm of my hands. "Yeah. I'm fine." I sigh and fake a smile. "You don't look fine." She replies. "Its no big deal, just Kk being a ath like always." I grumble. "What was he talking about?" She asks. I sigh. "I had a girlfriend 3 years ago. Long story short I was looking to get back at my dad and she wanted to come. I took his car and we got in a car crash. She's been in a coma ever since." I answer and bang the back of my head against the wall. "And now that I am moving on he decides to bring it up today." I say. She doesn't reply, probably unsure what to say. "Well then screw him. He shouldn't be such an jerk. As far as I'm concerned it is in the past." She says. I turn my head to her. That's... No one has ever told me that.. Before I can say anything she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me, almost making me fall over. My eyes widen, when was the last time I hugged someone? The heavy weight in my chest goes away and I hug her back. This feels... right. We both loosen our arms but don't let go, I stare at her eyes. "Can I try something?" She asks. "Yeah." I answer. She pulls one of her arms back and uses it to take off my glasses. I can see amazement on her face. She stares into my red and deep blue eyes.

"They're beautiful." She says softly. I blush slightly. "I guess we both have weird eyes huh?" I tease. Her's are such a deep green, I have never met someone with green eyes. Non the less a green like her's. "My turn to try something." I say and lean toward, as our lips meet I feel her letting out a small warm breath.  
Something about being here with her just feels right. I only met her today but there's just something about her that is pulling me in. I guess she feels the same since she is kissing me back.

...3 years. I was waiting for Aradia for 3 years. But this is the only time not seeing someone felt worth it. Because if I saw someone else, I wouldn't be here with Nepeta.


	3. Chapter 3: Make a plan

The rest of the day was uneventful. Minus Sollux befriending the stoic gym teacher. I never got a chance to apologize to him for what I said. Looks like I didn't really need to either since he had a smirk all day. He kept spacing out and looking at Nepeta when they were in the same room. I remember being zoned out most of gym. They were testing everyone's physical abilities so I just did as I was told and got lost in my thoughts. I heard the crowd of teenagers cheering for some amazing person but as I said, I wasn't paying attention. I did better then most people but it's not like I'm incredibly strong or anything. I'm walking home right now, Kankri only ever has time go drop me off. I have to get home on my own. I'm ok with that. It gives me time to clear my head before seeing him and getting all the stupid questions he always asks. I realize I am walking down the wrong street. This happens a lot. I continue to walk down the rode until I reach the curb. If I turn down there I'll end up heading back home anyway. I look around, at least it isn't raining anymore. Still cloudy as hell but I'm not getting soaked anymore. "Hey! Best bro!" I hear Gamzee yell. I turn around and see him waving. I stop moving to greet him. Gamzee is like my best friend. But it kinda feels like I'm babysitting him sometimes. He is a drugy that dropped out of school last year. Now he is a street performer. He loves it and I guess he makes a living since his bum of a father doesn't provide and he is still doing ok. "Hey Gamzee." I reply as he runs up. "It's been a while Karbro." He says. That clown make up of his still creeps me out a little. He always wears white and gray clown makeup, a black baggy T-shirt, and black and purple poka dot pants that look like pajamas to me. I don't know why people give him money consider how he dresses and always has a bed head. Either his tricks are really good, or they pity him. I've never seen what he does. I should at some point though. "Guess what bro!" He says with a big smile. "What?" I ask. "My mother fucking pen pal moved here last week." He's says. Wait. "You have a pen pal?" Yeah! I've been taking with that mother fuck since I was in Jr high bro!" He says. He is a year older then me, this would be his last year. But how come I never heard of this guy?  
"She's going to your school to." He finishes. "Really? Wait. Two new girls came today. What's her name?" I ask. "Nepeta." He answers. Shit. "I met her. She's kinda... strange. But I guess it makes sense for you to be friends with someone like her.. Have you met her yet?" I ask. "Nah man. She's been crazy busy." He answers. "Well I think I can get you two together, I'll message you later." I reply. "Alright! Thanks Karbro." He says. I wave goodbye and keep walking.

Once I get to my house I go straight to my room and dump my bag on the floor. I grab my laptop and jump onto the bed. Leaning against the wall I put my feet up and turn the computer on.

I open my chat box on Pesterchum. I create a memo to talk to multipul people at once.

I send a memo invite to everyone I need to talk to.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] has created a memo

CG: HEY GUYS. REPLY TO THIS MEMO SO WE CAN TALK WITH IT

twinArmageddons [TA] has replied to memo

TA: What do you want Kk?

CG: WELL FIRST OF ALL, SORRY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT LUNCH. I BLEW A FUSE.

TA: No 2hiit

CG: ARE WE STILL friends?

TA: Of coar2 we are diip 2hiit. You a2k that every tiime we fiight. Thii2 friiend2hiip ii2n't endiing retard.

CG: GOOD. NOW WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYBODY ELSE?

TA: How am II 2uppo2t to know?

terminallyCapricious [TC] has replied to memo

TC: SoRrY i'M lAtE mOtHeR fUcKeRs

CG: WHATEVER, YOUR HERE NOW.

TC: SOLLUX, DOES NEPETA HAVE A ACCOUNT?

TA: Yup. Want me two iinviite her?

CG: YEAH

TA: Ok, iinvite 2ent.

arsenicCatnip [AC] has replied to memo

AC: :33 Hi Pawllux!

TA: 2up Nep

TC: NeP?

AC: :33 ?

TC: It'S gAmZeE sIs!

AC: :00 Gamzee! *AC tackle pounces TC to the ground to give him a true Nepeta greeting*

TC: *TC hUgS hIs LiTtLe SiS aFtEr SiTtInG bAcK uP*

CG: WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? ARE YOU TYPING IN A ROLE PLAY FORMAT? I'M GOING TO DIE SURROUNDED BY FREAKS.

TC: 2hut up Kk. IIt'2 adorable. *TA 2hout2 dog piile! And jump2 on top of AC and TC*

CG: OH MY GOOOOD

AC: :33 *AC holds a paw up, "_Cat_ pile you mean." She says.*

TC: Honk!

TA: *TA pokes AC'2 2iide to te2t her for tiickliishne22.*

AC: :33 "EEEEE!" *AC squeals as she is very ticklish.*

TA: "Hehehe. Iit ii2 on." *TA 2ay2 and begiin2 to tiickle attack AC*

AC: :33 "EEEEEEE HAHAHA! TC! Help me!" *She screams with laughter.*

CG: CAN'T believe I'M DOING THIS...

CG: *CG CAN NOT TAKE ANY MORE OF THIS FOOLISHNESS AND BREAKS UP THE TICKLE FIGHT.*

AC: :33 Aw! Your no fun Karkitty!

CG: DID YOU JUST CALL ME KARKITTY? HELL. NO.

AC: :33 Why yes. Yes I did. Purrhaps Karkitty would prefer Karkitten?

CG: HE WOULD NOT.

CG: I MEAN I WOULD NOT. FUCK.

TA: Calm down Kk. What ii2 thii2 memo even for?

CG: HUH? OH RIGHT. GAMZEE SAYS HE'S BEEN TALKING TO NEPETA FOR YEARS NOW AND STILL HASN'T MET HER SO I FIGURED WE ALL COULD HANG OUT THIS WEEKEND.

AC: :33 Purrfect!

TA: 2ound2 good two me.

TC: GrEaT iDeA kArBrO

TA: When wiill 2aiid hang out bee happeniing?

CG: FRIDAY AFTER SCHOOL?

AC: :33 *AC nods with a big kitty smile*

TA: Cool. Who'2 hou2e are we gonna go two?

CG: I DON'T CARE

AC: We could do it at my house

TA: Cool

TC: AlRiGhT mOtHeR fUcKeRs!

CG: SEE YOU GUYS AT SCHOOL. AND GAMZEE, I'LL SEE YOU AT NEPETA'S

carcinoGeneticist [CG] has closed the memo

That went well. Now that that's settled I look at the clock to see if I need to start making dinner yet.

Probably, I usually just wait for Kankri to get back since by then it's about dinner time. I look out the window and see nothing but a wall of trees blocking the view of the rest of the neighborhood.

I start envisioning how hard it would be to climb the trees, sneak out the window, climb down the trees. I kinda want to try it. I think I will. I open the window and stick one leg out, then the other. I sit in the window sil and look down. Well, pretty big drop. But there are so many tree branches it should be pretty easy. I hear a car door shut and I jump. "Fuck!" I say to myself, I almost fell.

"Karkat?" Kankri shouts from downstairs. Oh. I guess this adventure will be saved for another day.

I pull my legs back inside and close the window. I hear Kankri coming up the stairs, I slam the window shut and jump onto my bed. He knocks. I pull my computer onto my lap and sit back, pretending to be asleep. "Karkat are you here?" He asks as he opens the door. I guess he saw me sleeping and left. I can only guess since, as I mentioned before, I'm pretending to sleep and there for. My eyes are closed. I wait until I hear footsteps going down the stairs before I sit up.

Well what am I gonna do now? I get up and grab a movie from my extensive collection. I put it in my laptop and press play.


	4. Chapter 4: Where's my hat!

My eyes open slowly. I turn onto my stomach and stretch in the downward dog position like always.

A smell hits my nose. I creep out of bed and crack the door open. I observe my surroundings.

When you first walk into the house you are instantly in the living room. A little bit forward and to the right is the kitchen, instead of the breakfast bar there is a round table. Head to the back and there is a door that leads you to Meulin's room. Down the short hall at your left there is a door at the end that leads to a set of stairs. Down the stairs you will find my bedroom.

Halfway through the hall above my room is the bathroom Meulin and I share. A simple lay out.

We had to fight over who got the basement bedroom. It is just so cool! I won because we had to race for it and her skirt just isn't meant for running on all fours. It's a shame. I think I'll describe my room as well. When you walk in there is a bunk bed without the bottom bunk to the right and pressed against the wall. Instead of the bottom bunk is my shipping wall. I think it is quite nice. I don't have a ton on it yet though because I had to leave my old wall at home. It already had my furriends from back there on it so I don't see a point in putting them on this wall to. And I haven't met a whole bunch of people here yet. But it will grow with time!

In front and slightly to the left of my door is a desk with my laptop on it. And on the left wall is my closet. I would have a window next to the desk if it wasn't fur the fact I'm in a basement.

But during my first week here before school sis and I made a tunnel. It doesn't just lead me outside either, it goes super high up so I can look at the top of all the biggest trees. There is a forest behind the house and some trees in between the houses. I love it here.

People have asked us if the tunnel is a slide you climb into from the roof. But it's just a spiral tube for me to climb in. It's made of clear glass so I can see everything. But there is a small locked square door blacking it. Only I have the key so only I can climb in it.

Opps! I was rambling on! Let's get back to reality.

I stare through the cracked door to see what the delicious smell is. Hmm.. Batter. Either waffles or pancakes. With a hint of strawberry jam. It must be Friday. We always eat fun food on the weekends and even though Friday isn't actually part of the weekend, we got tired of waiting one day so we started having our fun food on Friday as well. Oh my gosh! If it's Friday then Pawlux, Karkitty, and Gamsqueak are all coming ofurr today! Eep! I pounce into the hallway and sneak into the kitchen.

The smell of pancakes is strong. Meulin turn to the sink, leaving the plate of my pray sitting on it's own. I slip a paw up to grab one. "Nepeta. I know what your doing." She says as she begins to wash the dishes used to make said pancakes. "Darn." I reply and stand up like a human.

"You haven't succeeded yet, and don't think you will anytime soon." She says and turns off the water.

"We'll see about that." I reply. I grab the plate and set it in the middle of the table. She brings over the plates and jam. I grab the sirup. We sit down and start piling the lovely heart and ship shaped pancakes onto our plate. She is a pro at shaping the batter, she has worked on it for a while.

"So when are you gonna tell me about that mysterious blush you had when you came home on the first day?" She asks. "I don't think I could pawsubly. Kiss and tell." I say with a sly grin.

She freezes and her eyes widen. "You kissed someone!? Oh my gosh Nep! You have to tell me what he looks like! How can I add him to my wall if I don't know what he looks like?!" she asks.

"Hehe! Don't worry, the friends coming ofurr today, he is one of them." I reply.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She asks. "I wasn't sure. I'm still not pawsitive. We have been with each other as much as we could the whole week. But he hasn't said anything about it. I'm wondering if he only did it because he was upset and I so close to him..." I reply. "Explain the details purrlease!" She begs. "Well, his friend, who is also coming ofurr today, brought up something sad he blames himself fur so he ran out of the cafeteria. I followed him and he was sitting on the ground looking like he was gonna cry! He had been so nice to me that day I couldn't help but comfort him. And after we hugged he kissed me. And I kissed him back but..." I explain. We are both quiet for a minute.

"Oh! But something good happened befur that to! He wears the funny 2 colored glasses and I took them off to see his eyes, since they are always hidden. And they are so beautiful! One is red and the other is a deep blue! I practically swooned!" I sigh. She squeals in joy fur me.

"Oh! Finish eating and get dressed! We are going to be late!" She says and continues to eat, but faster now. She is one who is going to be late. If she didn't drop me off every morning we wouldn't have to worry about her missing a class or anything. "You can go ahead, I'll walk today." I say.

"Are you sure? It's always so wet and muggy here. I don't want you to get all dripping." She replies.

"I'll be fine. I still have my hat and jacket to keep me dry." I say. "Umm.. You don't have the hat today." She says and closes her eyes, waiting for my flip out. Oh, here it is! "What?! Why not?!" I ask. "I was gonna was it, cause the fuzz on it was getting all clumpy. But when I picked it up I still had some paint on my hands so.. It's kind of stained at the moment. I can fix it though!" She answers.

"AAAAAAAAAA!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "Nepeta! Calm down! It will be fixed by the end of the day. Don't worry." She says. I start breathing deeply. "Ok. Ok. I'm ok.. I'm fine." I say and sit back down. "You can take my umbrella though. It's like the hat." She says.

"Ok... I guess it will work since they both are blue cat heads.." I reply.

After breakfast she heads out and I do to after a little bit. Of coarse I have the umbrella above my head.

It's.

Not.

The.

Same.

I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. But. I must make the best of it! I put on my smile and act as cute as always with a slight sense of what Meulin calls Moe. She watches a lot of Anime. And thanks to that I have mastered cuteness! As if I need purractice, hehe!

I walk up to the school and am immediately greeted by Sollux.

"Hey Nep. What happened to your hat?" He asks. "My sister stained it by mistake.. She she is lending me her umbrella for the day though." I answer. "Oh. Thtill pretty cute. You could go without the it more often." He says. "Nefur! My hat is very important! It may clash with my pink clothe, but I refuse to go without it if I can help it!" I reply, my hands in loose fists that are held up to my collar bone. "Why?" He asks. "Well. My bestest furriend gave it to me when I was having hard time. His favorite color is blue and he knows how much I love cats. I've nevfur gone a day without it since." I answer. "That'th pretty cool. You guys mutht be clothe to thtill be friendth huh?" He says. "Yes! Equihiss is my meowrail!" I answer. "Um. Your what?" He asks. "The real way to say it is moirail. We made it up! I was gonna call him my brother, but so many brothers and sister fight. So we made that up to show we are closer then mire siblings." I answer. "Wow. Ok then." He replies right before the warning bell rings. "Oh no!" I say. Crap! "Come on." He says and grabs my hand. We race through the school to get to class on time. I blush slightly, watching his spiky blond hair fly as we run. He glances back at me, he is smiling. I love his toothy smile. Then again, you can see his sharper teeth no matter what. But this is still adorable! He looks back forward and in just a second we reach the classroom. We stop a foot past the doorway. Evfurry one is already in their seats and since we are the last here they stare at us. I look at my left hand and realize he is still holding it.

I blush even more and and make a face that looks like someone saying "EH?!"

He looks at me and sees my reaction. He forgot to. I can tell because as soon as he realizes what I'm staring at he jumps and lets go. We walk over to the table we were assigned to sit at together, my blush fades, but not completely. It kinda still feels like their are eyes locked on us. I just stare at the black table top, with my hands on my stiff knees and my arms locked out I begin to get lost in thought.

Oh my gosh.. Did that just happen? I glance up at him. And see him look away quickly, he has a hint of blush on his face too. It did just happen! Oooooh! At least the feeling of being watched is gone.

I sat through class very awkwardly But at least now I can go to my English class and talk to Terezi and Feferi. They are really nice! Feferi likes to use fish puns like I use my cat puns.

And Terezi is crazy, in the funny and cool way. She is also blind, which is part of her coolness.

She can taste and smell in ways I didn't know were possible! But is was kind of weird when she asked what I looked like and licked my face. But that's her way of seeing so I don't mind! And it kind of reminds me of a cat!

I sit down at my desk with plenty of time to spare. "Hey Nepeta." Terezi says. "Hi." I reply.

She sniffs the air around me. "I'm smelling a lack of blueberry fur. Where's your hat?" She asks.

"My sister stained it by accident." I answer. "Oh that's awful!" Feferi says as she sits down at her desk to my right. "Yeah. I've almost nefurr gone a day without it..." I reply. "Oh.. Whale, I think I know what will make you feel better!" Feferi says. "What?" I ask. "You both could come over after school for a sleepover! We can watch a bunch of funny movies and do make overs!" She beams.

"I would love to! But I'm having some other furriends over for a meet up after school. I don't know how late they will be staying." I reply. "Oh, that's ok! You still want to come over Terezi?" She asks.

"Sure." Terezi answers right as the teacher walks in. The final bell rings and class begins.

The rest of school was just like all the others. I walk to the doors to wait outside for the guys, when Sollux comes up from the side and walks with me. "Hey." He says. "Hi Pawllux." I reply.

"Where's Karkat?" I ask. I normally see them together so I'm a little curious.

"He's gonna meet us outside in a minute. He got caught up talking with some girl. Not like I'm one to talk but she was kinda weird. Strange glasses, talking funny, sniffing the air." He answers.

"Oh! That's my furriend Terezi! She can see by using her taste and smell! How cool is that?!" I reply.

"Oh. Wait, so she's blind?" He asks. "Yeah. She is still very cool." I say as we come to a stop outside. "Oh! I furrgot my umbrella. I'll be right back!" I say and run back inside. I must have left it in-"Oof!" The wind is partially knocked out of me when I run into someone. We fall the the ground and the rest of my breath comes out. Along with his, since I just landed on him.

"Oh! Sorry!" I say and push off the ground. I whimper a little. I am now, with my hands on the sides of his head, looking down at, and sitting on top of. Karkat.

"What the fuck?" He asks, I can sense the confusion in his voice. It tells me he isn't looking for an answer. He opens his eyes. No he doesn't doesn't just open them. They shoot wide open when he sees it's me that just hit him. "Uhh.." His mouth hangs open slightly. Do we all have freaky sharp teeth? All of his look like little white daggers. Well, looks like all weirdos find each other some how. We all have weird names, cool eyes (That is only some of us though), and at least one set of sharp teeth. "Oh! God, I'm so sorry!" I say and sit back. Eep! That's not any better! I'm still sitting on him! On his hips, to be exact. This isn't good at all! "What the fuck was that for?" He snaps.

Him being angry doesn't help how I feel right now! My head is spinning with confusion on what to say or do or feel. He stares at me for a second and sees my freaked out face. What do I do?!

He props himself up with his elbows. "Are you ok? You look pretty freaked out." He asks.

"I, uh..." I try to speak but get interrupted by some passing by kids. They start whistling as they pass us. I'm getting flushed! I close my eyes tightly. My hands are sitting on his stomach, they straighten out and turn into fists. My nails are sharp so I'm probably hurting him slightly, but I can't help it! My head sinks and my upper back starts to slouch. "Woah, Nep. Are yo ok? Answer me." He says and sits up all the way, causing me to slide a little down to his lap. "Come on, say something." He says and grabs my shoulders. "What the hell happened here?" Sollux asks from behind me.

When I hear his voice my eyes shoot open. "She uh, got kinda freaked out I guess. She wont say anything." Karkat answers, not taking his eyes off me. Sollux crouches down next to Karkat and bends over to get a view of my face, which is blocked by my hair. So he probably can't see anyway.

"Nepeta? Thay thomething." He says. Why can't I move?! I normally don't freeze up like this.

But the memories keep flashing in my head along with my panic. I start breathing fast, really fast.

"Woah woah woah. It'th ok Nep. Calm down." Sollux says and pulls me off of Karkat into a sideways hug. My left leg is still sitting on his legs since it was on the other side of him before I was moved.

Karkat looks at my panicked eyes while Sollux tries to calm me down. "W-Where is it?" I ask.

"Where's what?" Karkat asks. "M-My hat. I n-need my hat." I answer. "It's at your house remember? Your sister had to wash the paint off of it." Sollux answers. "We are going to your house anyway, just stand up and we can go." Karkat says. My breathing has slowed down a bit already, I nod and slowly stand up. Sollux is still holding me, just in case. We walk out slowly, we could go faster but I'm shaking a bit and they clearly don't want to rush me. "I'm sorry." I say softly.

Sollux chuckles a little. "For what? Having a panic attack? It'th no big deal." He replies.

"Take a deep breath." He says. I do as I'm told and soon my breathing is back to normal. I stop shaking, and I can start walking faster. We reach the doors and I stop. "Hm?" They both question.

I close my eyes, take one last deep breath, and smile. "Thank you." I say as I look up at Sollux.

"Yeah. No problem." He replies, completely confused. I gently brush his arm off of me and walk out.

They follow behind of coarse. "Hey Nep." Karkat starts. "Hm?" I take notice of his start to a question. "Why did you stop to smile before we walked outside? No one was out there anymore anyway." He asks. "I um.. I can't look weak." I answer, my voice cracks on the word "weak".

I clear my throat to get rid of that crack. "We'll be there soon." I say before they can ask anything else.

I put a slight bounce in my step as I speed up. They keep up easily.

I just hope the issue fades...


	5. Chapter 5: At the Leijon's house

We get to the front door and I turn around before putting in my key.

"Could you not tell my sister about what happened? I don't want her to worry." I ask.

"Thure I guth." Sollux answers. Karkat just nods. I turn back around and unlock the door.

I trot in and look around for her. "Meulin! I'm home!" I shout. "Welcome back!" She shouts from her room with the door cracked open. I skip over and stick my head inside. "The guys are here. Including Sollux." I say quietly so they can't hear. Her face lights up and she pushes her way out.

"Hi! I'm Nepeta's older sister, Meulin." She says and holds out a hand. "I'm Karkat." He says politely and shakes her hand. "I'm Thullox." He says, and also shakes her hand.

I walk up and see her with an evil grin. "So your the boys she's been talking about." She says with her cheerful smile. They can't see it, but I see evil hidden underneath her grin!

"Meulin! I thought you said you had homework to do." I interrupt "Oh, I suppose I do. You kids have fuuuun~" She replies and walks back into her room.

We all stand there quietly for a minute. "Sooo.. What do you want to do?" I ask.

"You could show us around a bit." Karkat replies. I nod and begin. "What you see is what you get out here. But this way," I say as I lead them to the hall. "That's the bathroom." I say and point to the door as we pass it. "And this is my room." I say and open the door to reveal a set of stairs.

I lead them down and turn on the lights. They look around a bit until Karkat freezes at the sight of my shipping wall. "Uh. What's that?" He asks. His picture is on it. For now I have my wall set up with pictures of individual people thumb tacked onto it until I am sure about how I want it to go. Then I will paint. "Oh! That's my shipping wall! I haven't really figured out who I ship yet but I have those sketches there to keep track of my options." I say proudly.

= Be Karkat now.

What the fuck?

She has a fucking shipping wall, so she can ship her friends together. WHAT THE HELL?

She is a bigger weirdo then I thought!

I'll admit that the sketches are incredible. But the reason for them is so fucking bazaar!

"Hey, what'th thith?" Sollux asks her. I turn around to see him pointing at a small square door. "Oh! That's my tunnel." She answers. "And where doeth thith tunnel go exactly?" He asks. "Up. Above the house and to my little room. It is all clear so I can see everything." She answers. "Can we go up?" He asks. Does he ever stop asking stuff?

"No! It is off limits to outsiders. Fur now at least. Once I think your ready I'll let you up." She answers. Whatever. Who gives a shit anyway. "When is Gamzee getting here?" I ask.

"In a few minute purrobably." She answers. We all walk out of the room and back to the living room.

There is a knock on the door. She beams and races over to open it.

"Hey sis." Gamzee says to greet her for the first time. She lets him in and swiftly jumps up to hug him. Y'know how I said she is shorter then me? Well keep that in mind along with the fact that he is 6 foot 2. She had to jump pretty high to get her arms around his neck. He wraps his arms around her waist and spins her around and she lets out a giggly squeal. When he sets her back down they just smile at each other. "I'm so glad we finally get to meet!" She beams. "Me to mother fucker." He replies. "How do you two know each other anyway?" Sollux asks. "Oh, he's been my pen pal for I think.. 4 years now." She answers. "Damn. And your only now meeting." He replies. She giggles.

"What are we gonna do now?" I ask. I'm getting bored. What the hell were we even planning to do anyway? "Well, there are some video games over there.." She answers and points to a cabinet next to the TV. Then she walk over the another cabinet on the other side. "Or there are movies." She says and opens it to reveal a collection of rom coms similar to mine. There is a separate stack of movies with names I haven't heard of... Wait.. Some of these sound familiar, but I've never seen them..

I wonder why... "What are these?" I ask.

"Uhh.. Those are Meulin's movies. We can't watch those..." She answers.

"Why not? I think I've seen some of these names somewhere." I reply. She grins like she is embarrassed. "It's uh.. Do you watch many rom coms?" She asks. "Pfft. That'th all Kk watcheth." Sollux butts in. "That's really cool!" she says and smiles normal again.

"So. Does Meulin not like it when you touch her stuff or something?" I ask in attempt to get back to my original question. I see her getting embarrassed again. She rubs her knees together a little, like shes uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable at that. "No, she has tried to get to watch them befur but.. Uhh." She stumbles with her words. "But what?" I ask and fold my arms. I glance at Sollux and he has a smirk. He knows something.. She lets out a sigh. "They're sex movies." She blurts out.

My mouth opens slightly and my eyes widen as I blush. "O-oh. Um.." I can't think of what to say next. Sollux snickers. He caught on before she said it I guess. "I mean they're not porn! They just have scenes." She continues to defend Meulin a bit.

"Why don't we play some video games?" She asks. "Yeah. That's a good idea." I reply.

After about 10 minutes of fighting over what to play we finally settle with some shooting game I've never heard of. Sollux kicks everyone's ass like he always does with video games. Nepeta actually comes in second, but that pisses me off since she actually beat me. Gamzee. He didn't really do much besides watch, said video games weren't really his thing.

We played until I rage quit... Don't mock me!

I slouch into the couch with my arms folded as they put away the game.

"Come on Karbro, don't be a sad sack." Gamzee says and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't touch me." I snap at him and slap his hand away. "Kk, calm down for fuckth thake." Sollux says. "I am calm!" I yell at him. "No your not Kk. Don't think anything of it Nep. He alwayth endth up rage quitting." Sollux says and turns his head to her. She grins in reply.

I can't fucking believe it. This is bull. Complete and utter bull. I sigh with a rough voice to sound like a grunt at the same time. "Well. If you want we can watch a movie?" Nepeta asks.

I straighten my back out with interest. That's not a bad idea. Yeah, I like this plan!

"I'm ok with it, but when he getth into a movie he will be curled up in a blanket not only mouthing the wordth, but thcreaming at the TV." Sollux replies. "Whatever Sollux. Just because you don't appreciate the movie doesn't mean you can insult those of us that do." I say, using my cocky tone of voice of coarse. We are talking about rom coms here. Any other tone of voice wouldn't be appropriate for me. "Would you be ok with it Gamzee?" Nepeta asks once she finishes giggling.

"Don't matter to me long as we get some popcorn and faygo all up in this mothering house." He answers. "Well, we have popcorn, but no faygo. I nefur got to try it actually." She replies.

"You don't want to either. It tastes like ass." I say.

"No way bro. It's like, mother fucking miracles!" Gamzee replies.

"I'm with Kk on thith one." Sollux says. "Thank you." I reply.

"Well we can just find out what sis thinks. I got some faygo in my bag." Gamzee says and walks over to his back pack. Yup. He pulls out one red and one purple bottle of faygo.

"Here you go sis." He says and hands her the bottles. "Let me get us some cups." She says and stand up to take them to the kitchen. "Nah. Just drink." Gamzee stops her. "Uh, ok." She replies and look to me and Sollux for a yes or no. I shrug, Sollux edges her on. She sets the red one down on the coffee table and opens the purple bottle. I can tell it's been opened before by the lack of popping sounds and the fact it's content was lower then usual. She takes a gulp of it and sets it down.

"It tastes kinda funny... It's nice I guess. But it's kind of like there are 2 flavors." She says as response to the fizzy drink. "It shouldn't.." Sollux says. He's right. "Gamzee. Did you put something in the faygo?" I ask. "No. I left those bottles at home man." He answers. "Let me thee thith." Sollux says and grabs a bottle. He takes a sip and shivers at the taste.

"Ath nathty ath thith sthuff ith all the time, there ith definatley thomething elthe in there." He says and puts down the bottle of red faygo. "Whoops. I guess I grabbed the wrong ones. Oh well." Gamzee says.

"That's all you have to say? Whoops? Dammit Gamzee this shit could get them high!" I yell.

"I only had a little Karpkitty. Karkitty*" Nepeta says and flops back onto the couch.

"First of all, you chugged some of that shit down. Second of all, not only is this probably your first time getting high, but Gamzee's drugs are a strong mystery." I snap. It's already taking effect.

"No worries mother fuckers. This shit is my special blend of miracles. It gets better if you have more." He says with his usual stupid grin. "That's not how drugs work Gamzee." I reply.

"Fuck Nep! Put that down!" Sollux yells and takes the purple bottle away from her.

"Great. Fucking great. How much did she drink this time?" I ask after a face palm.

"Too much." He answers. She starts giggling hysterically and soon Gamzee joins in. Sollux stands up to whisper to me. "What the hell are we thuppothed to do now?" He asks. We watch them be retards on the couch as they fall into each other. Smacking their heads together. "I don't even know." I answer. "We could alwayth join the fun?" He jokes. Well, I hope he is joking.

"Ha ha, no fucking way." I reply. "Hey! Pawpluse! Pawluss* Er. Pawlux*." Nepeta says, tripping over her words. "Yeah?" He asks. She sits up and trips as she tries to walk over to him.

He catches her of coarse. "Careful." He says. "Thank you. Now when are you gonna explain to me what is going on in that purritty head of yours?" She asks, slight irritation in her voice.

"What?" He asks. "You kissed me and never explained yourself! How am I supposed to know how to feel if you wont talk about it!?" She hisses. Wait. He what?!

"Uhh. I really don't think now ith the time to talk about that." He replies, causing her to pout.

"Ehehe. Your lisp is cute." She giggles. "Heh. Thankth. Your pretty cute yourthelf." He replies with a smile. Holy fuck. Are they supposed to be dating?

"Gamzee, when is this shit gonna ware off?" I ask. "She didn't have much. Probably just an hour." He answers. That's good I guess. "Why don't we watch that movie until it wears off?" I ask.

"Yeah! Rom coms rock fur cudples! Uh, cuddsulls* no.. Curplakes* Cupcakes?* Hey, that sounds yummy! Do we have any cupcakes? I want a cupcake." She slurs her words despite her attempts to speak correctly. How the fuck did Gamzee get so used to it that he can function? Guess I'll never know. He would probably just call it a miracle or some bull shit like that. Sollux sets her on the couch and sits next to her. I set up the movie and sit on the other side of her.

By the time the movie is half way through she has mellowed out. I think. I've zoned out the normal world. I always do, weather I want to or not. I'm sitting cross-legged, leaning forward with a hint of water in my eyes from the touching moment on the screen. I feel something moving on my back that makes me flinch. I ignoring the best I can until a similar thing moves across my stomach.

I get back to reality and look down to see what is touching me. Aw fuck. Nepeta is hugging me, one arm around my back, the other around my stomach. She fell asleep, her head resting on the side of my shoulder. I look to see what Sollux and Gamzee were doing. Sollux has his head tilted back as he sleeps. Gamzee is hugging the couch arm. Am I the only one willing to stay awake for movies?

Well, judging by what Nepeta said, she normally stay into them the whole time as well. The drugs must have made her crash. I pull a blanket off of the back of the couch and lay it on her.

She slides and her head flops onto my leg. Her arms follow her down a bit but besides that she stays asleep. I want to yell in shock. I do not like it much when people touch me. And now a girl's head in on my leg, with her left arm, the one across my stomach, following her down still.

Gee. This isn't totally fucking awkward. Just ignoring it.. Just ignore it.. Just ignore it and watch the movie...

…... Fuck this!

I can't ignore it! It's impossible!

I remove her arms and re august my position

I scooch farther to the right so I am leaning against the empty couch arm, I pull my left leg up and my right leg hangs off. After a minute of sitting like this I start to doze off. Until. I... Sleep...

I wake up in a daze. I look around to see Nepeta laying face down between my legs and hugging my stomach. As if that didn't make me want to scream out of sheer shock and my natural "Don't fucking touch me!" mind set, I look at Sollux and Gamzee.

Sollux is laying on his stomach, on Gamzee with his head and arms flopping over the couch arm.

Gamzee is sitting like Sollux was when I fell asleep.

I rub my eyes with my palms and look to remember where the hell I am.

"Oh shit!" I yell, Meulin is standing behind the couch, elbows on the back of it holding her head up.

She is staring at me. I open my mouth to yell at her but she puts her hand over my mouth.

"Shhh! You'll wake them." She says and slowly removes her hand.

"What time is it?" I ask. Trying to keep my voice down despite the fact I am still freaked out.

"Almost 8:30" She answers. "But it is a Saturday after all so you don't have to worry.

Unless you have somewhere to go." She continues.

"I don't. Sollux here has work, but the only thing I need to worry about is my dumb ass brother.

'Karkat where were you? Karkat why were at a _girls_ house all night? Triggers!' Stupid fucker." I mock Kankri. She straightens up, no longer leaning on the couch, and giggles. "Shouldn't they wake up by now?" I ask. "Yeah, but I want to make breakfast furst." She answers. Great. More cat puns.

I move my hips around a little until I reach my pocket. I pull out my phone and see 13 messages.

Kankri. UUUUUUUUUUUGGgggggghhhhh.

Karkat, I kn9w y9u said y9u w9uld 6e 9ut f9r a while. 6ut when are y9u c9ming 6ack?

It's getting late, are y9u c9ming 6ack anytime s99n?

Karkat answer me please.

Karkat it is late. Y9u need t9 c9me 6ack h9me.

Karkat I'm getting w9rried.

Why aren't y9u answering?

Karkat it is past midnight! Say s9mething at least!

Karkat y9u need t9 get 6back h9me s99n!

-One missed call-

Karkat answer me!

This is very w9rrying!

-Two missed calls-

Karkat Vantas answer me this instant! This isn't funny!

Is everything 9k?!

Call me 6ack please! Tell me what's g9ing 9n!

Fuck. I start typing a message when I freeze. Nepeta is moving. I think she is still sleeping. But she is moving! A zap shoots up my spine and I freeze. She pulls her arms in and instead of hugging me is simply gripping my shirt. Her eyes squeeze shut even more, making her look upset instead of relaxed. She scooches more to the center of my legs and is slightly angled to her side.

This. Is. So. Fucking. WEIRD.

I'm sure to most people it is just cute, and she isn't pressing on anything she shouldn't be.

But I'm not used to human contact, I don't like human contact, and I sure as hell never let contact happen if I can help it. I hear her whimper quietly. Bad dream I guess.

I sit there awkwardly for a minute before her eyes shoot open and she gasps. I look down at her to see what she says, and see her reaction to our current position. She stares straight ahead of her, not moving at all and is there fore just looking at my shirt and the back of the couch. She slowly turns her head, making her chin sit on my chest. She let's her eyes wander up to see me looking down at her with a "What's going on?" expression. Her mouth quivers and she makes a small whine sound.

She sits back quickly and screams, her face incredibly red. This causes me to blush as well as make the other two wake up. "What the mother fuck happened?" Gamzee asks as he rubs his neck from the uncomfortable position he was in for who knows how many hours.

Sollux moves off of Gamzee and sits up properly. "Kk, what did you do?" He asks.

"I didn't do anything douche muffin!" I yell. Nepeta lets out a high pitched sigh.

"Uh. Sorry.." She mumbles and starts tugging at the bottom of her shirt.

"It's fine." I sigh. Both of our eyes look away, keeping our heads in place though.

We all sit there awkwardly for a minute until Meulin breaks the silence.

"Banana waffles!" She cheers. Nepeta beams and jumps over the back of the couch instead of walking around. "Eee!" She squeals. After pouncing over the couch she runs on all fours over to the kitchen and skits to a stop. Me and Sollux just stare at her, then at each other, then back at her.

"Come on!" She says and pounces onto a chair. We three get up and walk over like normal people, unlike Nepeta. We all sit down in random chairs as Meulin brings over the tall stack of thick waffles and sets it in the middle of the table along with syrup, jelly, and power sugar.

"Sweet!" Gamzee says. I guess they do look pretty good.

"Thankth." Sollux says. We all start digging in. Meulin whispers to Nepeta and they both start giggling. Leaving the rest of us completely confused and curious.

"What are you all up and whispering 'bout?" Gamzee asks. "Oh nothing. I was just telling Nepeta how right she was about Sollux's lisp." Meulin replies all cocky toned.

Sollux's head perks up. "And what ith she right about?" He asks.

"I'll tell you if you can say Mississippi." She replies. I see Nepeta blushing ever so slightly as she continues to eat.

He let's out a sigh before answering her. "Mithithippi."

They both giggle. "It's super cute." Meulin says. He grins in reply.

Both of their heads are tilted down to continue eating, however their eyes meet, and stay that way for a minute or two. Looks like Gamzee caught on too. "Well color me mother fucking blown away. Aint there just sparks with you two." He says. They both freeze and blush a bit.

"Busted!" Meulin giggles. I chuckle. "What the fuck are you laughing at Kk?" He asks.

Completely in denial. HA.

"You, duh. Your dumber then I thought." I answer. He drops the fork onto the table.

"Kk. When wath the latht time you thent me a viruth that worked?" He asks and peers over his glasses. I sit back and fold my arms. "That'th what I thought." He replies and gets back to eating.

After breakfast we all leave, I have to go home and explain to Kankri who by now is probably considering calling the police. I look back as I begin to walk away and see Sollux on the porch talking to Nepeta. Probably asking her out.

I shrug and keep walking.


	6. Chapter 6: Kankri's thoughts for once

Where is he... What is something happened? He could be hurt! What if the others didn't show up and he was _alone_ with her?! How reckless can he be?! He is s teenager but that's no excuse!

Or worse! What if she pounced on him!? He nor I know anything about this girl!

She could have gotten him addicted to drugs by now! What if he was pulled into a trap and was murdered! This isn't good at all!

I rant to myself while passing around the living room, waiting for my young brother to return.

He was stuck there over night. Anything could have happened!

I hear a key being inserted into the lock on the door. I freeze and fix my posture.

The door opens and in walks Karkat. "Brother!" I yell and run over to hug him.

"Let go of me fuckass! I've had enough human contact to last a long time already. I don't need any more!" He yells. "I'm so releaved you are oka- What did you just say?" I ask. This isn't good at all!

He pushes me off and closes the door. "Don't let your mind go there. We all fell asleep after watching a movie, Nepeta ended up clinging to me in her sleep. No big deal." He explains.

"Oh thank goodness!.. Now why on earth did you not reply to my calls or messages? You had me worried sick! I thought something bad happened and was considering calling the authorities to report a missing person!" I begin to scold him. He marches past me, hitting my with his shoulder.

Unnecessary "Karkat?" I ask and turn around to see him already walking up the stairs.

"It was no big deal, now leave me alone, my head hurts." He replies. And slams his bed room door behind him. I let out a sigh and start walking to my own room. I wish he wouldn't shut me out like that. He always acts like he hates me. And yet, I seem to be the only person he talks to in distress.

Although I have to go after him before he will talk. I sit down on my bed without any expression.

As he does confide in me most of the time. There is always the one subject he has always refused to talk about. Only once did he tell me about it. I think it may have gotten worse since then though.

It hurts that he wont tell me. But. I suppose he has his reasons.

Our mother died in a car crash you see. He was in the back seat next to me.

He started going off with his short temper about.. I don't remember. Something I said I think.

Or that I was saying anything. He doesn't like it when I talk for long periods of time, it always triggered him. But I can't help it. I.. I have my own reasons for that. But it is a different story for another time. Despite the fact that she was driving she had turned back, saying "Karkat you don't have to yell at him for expressing his opinion." But because she wasn't paying attention to the road which she though was clear. We were hit from the left side by a large truck. After wards he started crying to me about how it was his fault, because he was yelling and distracted her.

He only told me that once. But every time someone brought it up, I could see the hurt in his eyes.

People would ask how it happened and he would blow a fuse, saying it was none of their business and it's rude to ask about it. Most people only asked the one time. He had a hard time in school after wards, but even though it wasn't long ago, he has ignored the taunting. To my knowledge it stopped.

Not only that, but because he was behind her in the crash, he was injured as well.

He has a scar on his elbow that goes up his arm a little bit. It is large enough that if anyone sees it, it is instantly assumes he was traumatized as a child or some nonsense like that.

He could wear short sleeve shorts and a jacket like most people but he has always hidden it with dark turtle necks. I believe this is a reminder of his pain and wants to hide it from the world. I do not blame him. I have things I wish to hide as well. Truth be told. That's why I talk so much. If I keep talking, they can't ask me about it... About anything I suppose... A knock on the door.

"Yes?" I say, giving an ok to enter and put on a small smile. "Hey Kankri. Sorry I yelled at you before. As funny as it was over there, I'm a little. Shaken up I guess." He says.

I fix my smile up some more. "It is no problem brother. Do you wish to talk about it?" I ask.

"Sure I guess." He mumbles. We both sit cross-legged on my bed. "I just. I'm really confused. Apparently Sollux kissed her and never explained if he likes her or anything. And then after she fell sleep she was hugging me all night. And we ended up in this weird position by morning.. And yo know how I don't like people touching me. And then her sister, who seemed to know about her and Sollux basically flirted for her, and then I don't know what happened. But the problem for me is.

I'm... Bothered by what happened with her and him.. I don't get it. I mean, I don't know anything about her. Am I just mad because he was such an ass as to not explain anything all week?

And why did I blush so much when she touched me? I know I can't have feelings for her or anything.

But its just... It's kinda fucked up." He explains, finishing with a sigh.

"I see your dilemma I believe the frustration you are feeling is jealousy. However you say you know nothing about the girl so I highly doubt you could be flushing over her already. It is possible you really were mad at your friend for treating her that way. But you also make it sound like it worked out at the end of the day so it shouldn't matter anymore.. I am sorry I can't be too more assistance." I reply.

"I wasn't expecting you to be very helpful.-Eh, sorry.." He says. I give him a sympathetic look, keeping the smile. I hold out my arms for a hug. "No." He says and folds his arms.

"Fine. I have some errands to run. I'll be back later." I say as I stand up.

"K." He replies and follows me out of my room. He goes to his room and I head to the door.

As I drive to the store the same thoughts fill my head again. I think his self loathing is the cause for his anger sometimes. However he has always been a angry person. I can only assume that he was bullied through out the years for his strange eye color. I admit mine are weird as well but his are much more of a blood red while mine are more brown, therefore I am less of a target.

I pull up to the supermarket and get out of the car.

I begin to walk across the full parking lot but get stopped by some people yelling.

"Yo, cherry boy!" Someone yells. I turn around and see some people from collage. I don't know their names but they sure were never pleasant.

"Yes?" I ask. Please let them go away. "Come over here." another yells. I do as I'm told and walk over. "What are you doing our here alone? Could be dangerous" The one says.

"Well. This is a super market, so I would think my being here is rather self explanatory." I reply.

"Did you just call me dumb?" He asks. His friends take a step closer with angry looks in their eyes.

"No. Where this you get that idea? I simply implied that I was here buying groceries. There is really no need to get testy. However I apologize for triggering you. I will add this to a mental note for future reference. Please tell me if there are any other triggers you know of so that I can avoid them during conversation with you in the future-" I begin to rant. They cut me off by having one of them grab the front of my shirt. "This is a triggering situation!" I say nervously.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yells and punches me in the jaw. My eyes shoot as far open as they can with impact. He drops me, letting me fall to the cold wet concrete. They start to leave when another kicks my stomach. Knocking the wind out of me.

I start to get up when another hit strikes me. I gasp for air and start trying to get up. Which fails of coarse. They drive off. I lay there for a minute. Ok several minutes.

I finally get up and skip the store. Pain still throbbing through my body, I drive home.

"Your home earlier then I thought you would be." Karkat says when I walk through the door.

He is watching a doctor soapapora. "Yeah.." I reply, my throat is slightly irritated, I know he can hear it. I walk up to my room. "Kankri? You ok?" He asks before I can open my door.

"Fine." I reply. Darn it... My voice cracked, on top of that it came out incredibly soft and slightly scratchy. I continue into my room non the less.

Please let him be in a bad mood and not want to talk to me.. Please let me deal with this on my own...

I hear footsteps come up the stairs and stop at my door. I take a deep breath and hold it.

. . . . . . .

He goes away. He was never one to comfort. Thank goodness too, I would much rather avoid explaining this to him. I let out the breath and lay back on the bed.

This is not a good day for me. At least I don't have to explain it to anyone.

I feel like a hypocrite, I go after him to make sure he is ok. But I don't want others to help me.

I suppose if it was someone else maybe.. No. He is the only person I am close enough to too confide in. But.. I can't worry him. He has so much to deal with already, his self loathing comes out on top of his anger issues, he still feels like a mutant because of his eyes, and he has so many confusing feelings.

On top of that, he always is worried for father, even though he doesn't show it.

If add something else to his plate of worries I wouldn't forgive myself. I feel sorry for him.

I know I can't give him helpful advice, but I know how much better you can feel if you let it out.

Talking about an issue always helps in some way. I know, because I never release my problems.

And it feels horrible.

My computer beeps. A message.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] has began pestering articulateActivist [AA]

CG: HEY KANKRI. I KNOW I SUCK AT TALKING TO PEOPLE. BUT IS SOMETHING WRONG?

CG: I KNOW YOU SAID YOU WERE FINE BUT I KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THAT WAS COMPLETE BULL SHIT.

-That's rather sweet. He is reaching out even though he can't work up the courage to talk face to face. I still don't want to talk about it but it feels nice to have him care.-

AA: Y9u d9n't have t9 w9rry Karkat. I am fine.

CG: I SERIOUSLY DOUBT THAT.

AA: Please Karkat. I appreciate y9ur c9ncern. Really. 6ut I d9 n9t wish t99 dicl9se my feelings at the time.

CG: HELL NO. YOU GET ME TO TALK TO YOU WHEN I HAVE SOMETHING I NEED TO TALK ABOUT. I'M DOING THE SAME FOR YOU WEATHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.

AA: Then I ch99se N9T. Please d9 n9t 6ring this up again, it is a rather triggering situati9n and I will n9t discuss it with any9ne. The pr96lem will su6side my t9m9rr9w s9 there is n9 p9int in w9rrying a69ut it t9day.

CG: YOUR THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS LIKE "YOU NEED TO TALK ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY CAN GO AWAY" AND SHIT.

AA: If it is such "shit" then why are y9u repeating it t9 me n9w?

AA: I have had en9ugh 9f this discussi9n and y9u will n9t 6ring it up again.

AA: G99dbye Karkat.

CG: ASSHAT

carcinoGeneticist [CG] has ceased pestering articulateActivist [AA]

Well that was unpleasant. I suppose I could have handled that better.. This is not a good day for me.

A problem for another day. Along with all the others...

**((yeah I know. I'm very very lazy with spelling but you know what, too bad. I hope the rest of it is ok!))**


	7. Chapter 7 Boring shit and cliff hangers

It's been almost another week. I gave up on giving Kankri the cold shoulder a few days ago.

He wasn't cracking and I got bored. I know I'm stubborn as fuck but it got tiring.

I guess Nepeta and Sollux are dating, I keep seeing them holding hands and shit. It makes sense.

I'd be shocked if they weren't but I can't help but get lost in though and confusion when I see them laughing at something in that way only couples do. I just can't help it. I think it's because he has always waited for Aradia, and now that there is some new girl that be barely knows, he wants to move on and chase her. It makes no sense. But in the end it's none of my fucking business

I'm walking to school now, the clouds have actually lifted a bit. There are patches of sunlight.

Not many, but still, it's not raining so I decided to walk.

What sucks is I have biology today. I hate biology Well. Not the class itself, the teacher this year gets on my nerves. A lot.

He is so fucking smug about everything, cracking stupid jokes and making movie references.

And for the dumbest movies! He keeps going on about stuffed rabbits or some shit.

Sure, I'm learning just fine but it is so fucking hard to learn anything when he is constantly cracking jokes in the middle of it all! Everyone else loves him as a teacher, I hate his guts.

Anyway. Back to reality I guess.

I walk to my locker and stuff my things inside like always. Sollux walks up after I close it.

"Thup Kk?" He asks, leaning against the locker to my left.

"Not much. Loathing my classes and these know it all teachers." I answer.

"Their not tho bad." He replies. HA. I laugh at that statement! Uh, not really but you know what I mean! "The biology teacher makes car engine sounds every time I enter the room, and meows every time I leave because he noticed my name is Kar-kat." I fold my arms as I explain.

"Hehe. Let me guess. Chemistry ith to happy. History ith to blunt and plain. And gym ith a thtoic ath hole. Am I right?" He asks.

"Yes. I was gonna say stoic prick but I like yours better." I reply and start walking to class.

He follows me of coarse. "You need lighten up Kk. If you don't thtop and enjoy thomething you are going to mith everything." He says. Where the fuck did that come from?

"How the hell?.. Have you been hanging out with Gamzee? You sound retarded. You always hated on things with me." I reply.

"True, and I thtill do hate on shit. But-" He begins to explain.

"It's Nepeta isn't it? She has infected you with her cheery attitude hasn't she?" I ask, cutting him off.

"Kinda. But if you lithten to why she liketh being tho happy, it maketh you think about why you aren't and why you should be." He replies. Oh my god. He sounds so dumb.

"Now you really sound like a retard." I say. I see him opening his mouth to say something out of the corner of my eye. "Thith ith my classroom." I say to stop him and walk in.

I sit in my seat and wait. I got here early but it looks like I'm not the only one. The problem is non of the nice people are here. Only the dumb ass fuckers that like to gang up on me.

Fucking ass hats.

Someone throws a paper ball at the back of my head. And another. And another.

Just ignore it Karkat. Just ignore it. The warning bell goes off. Damn it. I still got time sitting here with these pricks. "Turn around already retard!" A girl yells at me.

I turn around and of coarse. Vriska. "The fuck you want?" I ask.

"No need to be so rude. I just wanted to see how you were handling your friend and the new girl." She replies. I grunt. "Why the fuck do you want to know? And FYI I don't give a shit about their relationship. Now fuck off will ya?" I answer.

"Someone is jealous. No need to be so touchy Karkat." She says.

"I'm not fucking jealous. I'm just annoyed with you and your retarded friends throwing things at me." I reply. "Fine. Whateeeeeeeever you say." She says. The final bell rings and class begins.

Naturally everything else is boring so let's see.. Lunch. Let's go with lunch.

I sit down where I always sit. Sollux already in his seat. No sign of Nepeta though.

"Hey. Where's Nepeta today?" I ask.

"She'th talking with her friendth, they'll be here thoon." He answers. Gee, just what I want. More annoying girls. I see her walking in a minute later with that other new girl, that Terezi chick, and the new hipster. Wonder why he is with them. They all sit down as their current conversation comes to an end. "Hi Pawlux!" Nepeta says and sits next to him. Terezi on her other side, next to her is 'what's her face', and then of coarse next to her is the hipster.

"Hey Nep." He replies and smile at her. "Gonna introduce us to your friendth?" He asks.

"This is Terezi, I think you guys already know her." She begins.

"Hello again Karkles." Terezi jumps in. "Yeah yeah." I reply.

"This is Feferi." Nepeta continues. "Hi! It's nice to meet you Sollux! I heard a lot about you! I would say the same to Karcrab but we are lab partners in chemistry" Feferi says.

"Does everyone have their own nick name for me?" I ask, irritated.

Let's see, so far I am, Karbro, Kk, Karkitty, Karkles, and Karcrab. If this next guy gives me a nick name I will kill them all.

"Yeth. Yeth we do." Sollux answers even though I'm sure he knows I wasn't looking for a reply.

"Don't interuped Karkitty! Anyway. This is Eridan." She finishes.

"Hi. Since I don't knoww your actual name, I'm just gonna call you Kar." He says.

Yup. Now I need to kill them all.

"What is do you all find so hard about just calling me by my name?!" I snap.

"Kk, don't be thuch an ath." Sollux replies.

"I'm not. It's just fucking irritating to have 6 names besides my real one. Can't you all at least agree on one?!" I snap. "It just means you're as unique as you are irritating. Whoops, I guess that's off the charts huh _Karkles_?" Terezi says.

"How about you enjoy your lunch somewhere else. Or at the very fucking least, not include me in the conversation so I can drown you out with my thoughts." I say and continue eating.

"Come on Kar. You don't havve to be so antisocial." Eridan says.

"Woah woah woah. Hold up. What the fuck is with your voice? Is that an accent? Where the fuck is that from? Shit you must have been tortured as a kid thanks to that! You know you can fix those things-" I begin to critizise. "Don't say that! That's rude!" Feferi jumps in.

"No it's fine Fef. He probably just can't see people feelings through all the red in his eyes." Eridan says. Nice come back. But I have had ENOUGH with the eye jokes!

"Eridan. You don't know what you jutht did." Sollux says calmly, being someone who has heard this all before. Everyone stares at me as I clench my fists.

"Nice one fish breath. Say, is that pansies I smell? Where could it be coming from? Oh, that's right. It's just you. Next time you wanna diss someone's unchangeable qualities, stand in the god damn corner and use your think pan for 5 mother fucking seconds to decide if you wanna do that.

But your such an ignorant sack of shit I wouldn't be surprised if your fucking brain fried long ago with whatever dignity you had. It's clear you don't have it anymore because if you did you wouldn't look like such a retarded mother fucking gay hipster." I bash him.

Everyone stares at me for a minute. I ignore them and continue eating.

I don't want to hear what they fucking have to say.

"Geez Karkat. Calm your tits." Terezi says.

"Shut the fuck up, I don't want to hear it." I reply. We all sit in silence for a while.

It's so awkward. Lucky for me lunch ended.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Until I got home...

I walk through the door and walk upstairs. Before I can get to my room I see Kankri's door open.

Weird. He normally doesn't leave it like that..

I push the door open and see Kankri laying on the floor, face down. Wait.. W-what?

**A/N:**

**Boo yeah! I finally made a good cliff hanger! Suck it internet!**


	8. Chapter 8: Reasons

I race to his side and instantly drop to my knees. "Kankri! What the fuck happened?!" I shout.

He doesn't say anything. How long has he been laying here?! Oh god oh man oh god oh man.

I grab his shoulders and roll him over. He has a busted lip, a black eye, a cut on his eyebrow, a blood streak coming out of his mouth, and a nose bleed. And that's just his face. There is a rip in the sweater on his right shoulder, I get a closer look and see blood. Shit man. What the fuck do I do now?!

Everything has been fine, how did this happen?! I was actually starting to perk up a bit, and now this bull?! Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck!

"Kankri wake up! Get the fuck up! Open your eyes! Do something! Please! Come on.." I start screaming and shaking his shoulders. Tears roll down my cheeks and let my head hang.

"Kankri come on..." I grumble. I grip his shirt tightly and lean down. Crying into his arm.

Fuck. Fucking fuck. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on you fuck ass...?" I let out a sob.

It takes a minute. A very horrible minute, but once that minute comes to an end I feel a hand pat the front my shoulder. I freeze, even the sobbing stops. I lift my head slowly and see that it is him. His arm drops onto his stomach, but his eyes are still cracked open.

"Kankri!" I yell. "Yes?" He asks with a horse voice. "Kankri oh my god. Your ok. You fucking scared me." I begin to sob again. He tries to sit up some, it doesn't work. But it shows I have his attention. He looks around the room like he is remembering something. Probably what happened to him. "What the ever loving _fuck_ happened to you?!" I ask. He snaps out of his memory game and looks at me. "I guess that they don't like me very much." He replies and fakes a smile.

God. Son of a bitch! Why is he faking it?! He manages to sit up and lean against his bed.

"I'll be fine Karka-" I won't listen to that.

"Stop fucking lying to me! I thought you were dead! And you say your fine?! How can you lie to me like that!? I tell you everything! In the end anyway. But when your being beat down you can't call for help, or explain what the fuck happened?! Don't you even trust me?! You fucking retard! How can you do that?! You son of a bitch!" I sob, and scream, and sob some more.

I ran out of things to say by the time I got to the last sentence. He puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry... You already have so many things going on. I can't.. I can't make you worry." He says.

I'm still pissed as fuck. He is the biggest dumb ass if he thinks he can get away with this.

"That is the fucking dumbest thing I have ever heard! What on earth makes you think you have to hide your pain from me?!" I shout. He let's out a sigh.

"I can see your pain when people ask about your eyes. Or mom. You already have to fight yourself every day because of that scar, the last time you talked about her you said how it was all your fault.

It doesn't seem like your opinion on the matter has changed." He starts explaining. Well fuck.

"That's why you hide your feelings?! That's horrible! Yeah. Fine. I hate myself most of the time.

But I can talk to you about this kind of shit. I just.. Do you have any idea how this makes me feel?

I probably hate myself even more now because I could have helped you! Think about that!" I yell.

His smile has faded. He tries to stand up. "Fuck no." I say to stop him. He doesn't listen.

He actually manages to get up, but starts coughing. He doubles over partially "Kankr-" I sigh out. But the sight of his blood dripping onto the floor stops me. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!

I wrap my arms around him and do the best I can to get him on his bed. What the fuck is wrong with him? He won't talk to me about shit, he won't listen to what I'm saying, and he continues to hurt himself.

"I'll be right back. You better still fucking be there." I say and walk out.

I go down stairs to get him some water. How the hell am I gonna help him? We can't afford any hospital bills. I don't know the first thing about taking care of a wound. I head back up stairs.

Thank god he didn't try to get up. "Here" I hand him the water.

We sit there quietly for a while until I can't take anymore silence.

"Kankri what the fuck happened to you?" I ask. I'm sitting on the floor with my back against the bed.

"They don't like how I talk. Or that I talk at all I suppose. You can't reason with people that hate you.

I can't really reason with anyone can I? Heh. Why is it that everyone thinks the people that would jump a guy are retarded? They all have good grades. I guess they just couldn't stand the sight of me." He replies. I don't know if I can call that an answer. But it's all I got I guess.

"They go to your school?" I ask. "Yes. If you even think about going there I swear.." He coughs again. "I will be fine you know. If you think about it, it's just some bruises." He continues.

"Believe what you want. You know I'm not letting you leave this house right?" I reply.

"I figured that much. You know the best way to stop people is to draw attention towards the problem.

A more effective fix would be for me to go back tomorrow and let people see my injuries." He says.

I guess he is doing a bit better. But something is off.

"Kankri. Why are you talking like that?" I ask and turn back to look at him. I guess he doesn't know I moved because he is staring at the wall ahead of him.

"Like what?" He asks back. What? Is he playing some kind of game?

"You don't sound like you. Your not talking even half as much. And there is a pretty big fucking lack of fancy words I don't care about." I reply. He grins at what I just said. I'm so fucking confused.

"Heh. That. You wanted me to open up right? It is in my nature to rant on. But after a certain point..

I talk as much as I do so people can't ask me about things I don't want to talk about.

My rants would be half as long at most if it weren't for all of the people that ask things I can't, or don't want to answer. Things like, why do you always wear that stupid sweater? What happened to your _damn_ mom?" Shit he sounds like he's gonna cry. I don't blame him.

"Kankri..-" I begin. Not like I have any idea what to say.  
"I have reasons Karkat. For everything. Even if you don't agree with them." He finishes.

Shit. How the hell does he do it? He is kind of annoying but he cares so much.

He fakes a smile no matter what because he doesn't want to make people worry.

He's like a saint or something! A fucking stupid saint! "Now I don't want you to think there is something I'm hiding every time I ramble on. Have you ever noticed how I go on longer around other people?" He asks. Now that he says it. Yeah, he does talk to me less then others.

"I guess, yeah... You used to talk a lot less to. Still enough to drive me crazy but less then now..

It was because mom died right? You didn't want people to ask about it?" I ask.

"Yes. Its not that I minded talking about it too much. But it bothered you. And it always ended up on how you were handling it. What you thought. I can't and couldn't tell them how you blamed yourself." He answers. "Fuck Kankri. Is there anything you do that isn't for me?!" I ask.

"Heh heh. I don't know." He replies and we both start laughing. Even though he coughs some more, we just keep laughing now that the air is clear. Just as the laughter is slowing down a bit the front door opens and closes. Dad is home.

The laughter goes away as I hear him climbing up the stairs. But his room is downstairs...

"Hello." He says with his horse and soft voice. "Karkat, it's been a while since we talked hasn't it?" He asks. I clench my fists. "Karkat, calm down." Kankri says. "Father, it is good to see you, Karkat and I were having a fairly important discussion so could we talk later?" He says. He is even getting rid of dad for me. "No." I say and turn around. "You are such a son of a bitch!" I yell and stand up.

"Can't you see past your own god damn nose!? You are talking about having a chat when your son just got beat near to death! Can't you see?! Like, literally see?! Clearly you don't understand shit but you at least have to see it right?!" I yell. Kankri sighs and sits up, swinging his legs off the bed.

As he tries to stand up he goes into a coughing fit and falls to the floor.

"Kankri!" I shout and race to his side. I know dad is still just standing there.

"If you aren't going to do anything then just get out of here fucking failure of a father!" I scream, not even looking at him. I can't stand it. He tries. I know he does. I don't mind on normal days even though I don't really reply. I try not to talk to him but if he says hi I'll wave back.

But this is just.. I can't explain it.

I hear his footsteps as he leaves and soon his bedroom door closes. I sit back and sigh.

Then I remember Kankri is on his hands and knees in front of me and coughed a little more blood.

I pull out my phone and start looking though contacts that might be able to help him.

No one I know knows shit about health! Ummm Maybe..

The phone rings for a minute until she picks up.

"Karkitty? Hi!" She says with her perky voice like always.

"Hey Nep. Do you uh.. Do you know anything about blood?" I ask. That sounded stupid.

"What do you mean?" She asks. Urg..

"Listen, this has to stay between us. But uh, Kankri got kinda, beat to shit. We can't afford to go to the hospital and I don't know fuck about injuries." I explain.

"Of coarse! I'll be right ofur!" She says and hangs up. I sit there and wait. Kankri sits back against the wall behind the head of the bed, his eyes start drooping and he is panting lightly.

We don't say anything until she knocks on the door. I race down the stairs to let her in.

"Hi." She says. I can hear the worry in her voice. I'm sure she can hear it in mine to.

"Come on." I say and lead her up the stairs. "has there been anything worse then cuts or bruises?" She asks. "He's been breathing weird and he coughed up some blood." I explain right before we get to the door. I step aside as she runs to his side.

"Oh gosh!" She says. "Hello. Sorry we have to meet like this." He replies calmly.

"Heh. Nice to meet you to. But it is probably best if you don't talk ok?" She says. He nods in reply.

"Karkitty, can you go get a wet towel?" She asks and turns her head to me. I nod and leave the room.

== Be Nepeta

I look at his arm, the cut in his shirt reveals a bleeding cut. "We need to get this off of you." I say and grab the bottom of his shirt. I pull it off of him to find many big bruises scattered across his chest and stomach. As well as a cut on the back on his left wrist. I take a closer look at one bruise on his chest, on a set of ribs I think. It looks way worse then the others. "Karkat hurry up!" I shout. This looks bad. Like, super bad. He comes in the room with a wet hand towel but stops in the door at the sight of his brother. "Fuck Kankri! Why didn't you say something?!" He shouts. "Give me the towel!" I snap. He hands it over and I begin tending to Kankri. I wipe the blood off him and examine the bruises the best I can. There isn't much you can do about those but I might be able to see if one of them is causing the blood. "I don't think the body blows are what is causing the blood. This bad hit here is definitely a problem but none of these could make him bleed from the inside." I explain to Karkat. I gently but firmly grab Kankri's jaw and open his mouth.

Hmm.. I think I see the problem. I get as close as I can without our faces touching to look in his throat. "Did they make you eat something?" I ask and release his jaw.

He looks away. "That's I yes I'm guessing." I say in reply. I grab his jaw again and force him to look at me. I stare deeply into his eyes until he looks kinda creeped out. "Tell me what it was.." I say, still being creepy. He pushes my hand away before speaking. "I was eating at the time.. They started messing with me and when I asked them to leave they started shoving my drink in my face and the straw went down my throat until I got them off me. Then the beating started.." He explains reluctantly. "Ok. There is a cut inside of your throat from the straw, that's why you keep coughing up blood. It is an irritation that makes you cough but it is also bleeding." I reply.

"Tell me if this hurts." I say and gradually put pressure on the worst bruise, but as soon as I touch it he flinches, I continue a tiny bit more and he let's out a groan of pain.

".. Broken rib." I say. "Fuck.." Karkat mumbles in reply.

"There isn't much anyone can do about that, it has to heal on it's own. As far as I can see you should be functional in a day or two but you should probably stay home to be safe. Don't talk if you can help it. And the rib will heal over time. For now all I can do is take care of the cuts and make sure the rib is in place to heal, that part is gonna hurt." I explain. He nods.

"Karkat, do you have any gauze?" I ask. "I think so." He replies and leave to go get it.

"Ok, bite down on this." I say and put the towel in his mouth. He does as I ask.

"3, 2, 1." I say and push the rib into place. I can hear him moan loudly through the rag, his back arches and he stiffens up. I keep my hand in place until Karkat returns, thank goodness it was only a second. He stands next to me and looks at his poor brother. I snatch the gauze and start wrapping it around his torso. "Ok, that should do it." I say and cut the gauze with my nails.

He relaxes and spits out the rag, breathing heavily. I take more gauze and wrap it around the cuts on his shoulder and wrist. "Your done." I say and stand up. Karkat looks like he is just as hurt as Kankri, if I saw Meulin in that much pain I would look the same. "How the fuck do you know how to treat this shit?" He asks. "I took lessons when I was in middle school. Me and my family go hunting a lot but we don't like to use guns so when camping out we got hurt every now and then. Me and Meulin needed learn how to treat any kind of wound." I explain. "Damn." He replies.

I look back at Kankri, "You need to sleep for a while." I say and help him up and onto the bed.

Karkat and I exit and head down the stairs. Once in the living room we start talking.

"Thank you." He says. "It's no problem really-" I reply. "No, I'm serious. Thank you. I'm useless as fuck. If you didn't come he could... I don't even know what." He says. Oh my gosh! He is so helplessly cute and sweet! I can't help it. I force a hug onto him. "I know you were worried. Your eyes are red." I say. "My eyes are always fucking red." He replies. "Hehe. I mean the rest of your eyes." I say and loosen the hug. "But I nefur really noticed how bright they are befur.." I say softly as I look at his eyes. They are so gorgeous. The brightest, deepest, candy red I have ever seen.

I stare into them with deep intent. They're like, inspiring or something. This is the point I realize he is looking at my eyes with a similar expression Not quite as passionate I don't think.

Sometimes I forget how green mine are. I've been told they look like nice leaves. I love them. I wonder why we can't stop staring.. It's like we're hypnotized...

Wait. What's going on?.. AAH! No! Our heads are starting to lean in! Come on Nepeta move! Push him away! Yes! I shoved him back.

We both start blushing violently. "I uh.." He can't really make out what to say and neither can I.

"I'm sorry." I say. "It caught both of us off guard huh?" He asks. I nod.

"We didn't mean to do it though right? We can forget about it." He continues.

"Yeah. We should just furrget about it." I reply. "Um. Call me if you need any more help with Kankri or something." I say and walk to the door.

After the door closes behind me I stop. That was weird. I shake my head and walk off.

**A/N**

**i'm trying to just upload every Sunday but I forgot last time so sorry I'm late. I hope you all liked it ^^**


	9. Chapter 9: Pouncing fish

It's been about a week and a half if I had to guess.

Things have... mellowed out. Kankri is definitely moving around even though his rib isn't totally fixed yet. He hasn't been avoiding any questions, so I guess we completely cleared the air. For now at least.

He hasn't gone back to school yet because I wouldn't let him. I don't trust him to go there without a way to defend himself. I know I can't protect him forever, and he is the older one so I shouldn't stop him. But you have no idea how I felt when I found him laying on the floor...

Umm.. I guess this is the part where I explain what's been going on with everyone.

Sollux and Nepeta have gone out on real dates a few times. They seem really happy.

I think the tension between me and her has settled a bit.

That Terezi chick that keeps bothering me, she's.. Cool I guess. I don't have any want to hang out with her outside of school, but she isn't too much of a pain. When she's not teasing me about the dumbest shit. I have yelled at her a few times but everyone around me this year is getting used to my temper.

Except that weird Eridan guy, he always follows around Feferi so I have to put up with him.

And I have to say. I fucking hate him! Such a retarded ass hole! It turns out he is actually gay, so that comment from a while back probably didn't bother him too much. Well. He's by.

But that means e has been flirting with everyone. And I mean everyone!

It is so fucking annoying! Ugh.. I think that's it. So let's get back to reality shall we?

"Bye Kankri." I say as I leave for school. I still like being driven better but if I walk I'll have an excuse for being late.

I walk into school the same as every god damn day of my life, and get greeted by Sollux at the lockers.

"Hey Kk." He says. "Hey." I reply and continue to cram my books and shit into the locker.

"Ok that's it." he says. I close the locker and look up at him. What the fuck is he going on about this time? "You have been quiet for almotht 2 fucking weekth. What ith going on and why haven't you told me?" He asks. Damn it. I let out a sigh and break the eye contact. "I don't want to talk about it, it shouldn't be a problem for too much longer anyway." I answer. If you can call that an answer.

"Kk. I'm your betht friend. If you can't tell me who can you tell?" He asks.

"Fuck off." I reply and start walking. Well I try. He grabs my shoulder to keep me from escaping the conversation. "I said I'm not talking about it!" I shout as I turn around. He doesn't flinch, he is used to me after all these years. "Let go of me you fucking ass hole." I snap and swap his hand away.

He sighs and grabs the side of my arm. Fuck he has good grip. He starts pulling me through the hall.

"Let go of me!" I yell, I'm strong and all, but Sollux is probably stronger and I don't want to test it.

"Nope. Your coming with me and we are talking about thith." He replies. He leads me out of the school and around the corner to not be seen. "Sollux what the fuck?" I ask.

"Kk, I thwear. You can be really retarded sometimes." He says.

"Sure sure, call me stupid." I reply and fold my arms. "Shut up and tell me what the fuck happened? If you hurry we might make it before the final bell ringth." He says. I don't reply.

"Come on. Pleathe Kk." He continues. Fuck. He sounds sencire. I hate it when he does that, it makes me feel bad. He looks at the ground, he knows I'm gonna break. I might as well save some time I guess... I open my mouth to speak when I hear a scream. We both walk back to the front of the school to hopefully see what happened since it sounded close to us.

"Get the furrick off of me!" Fuck. It's Nep. Sollux goes running, following the voice.

== Be Nepeta a few minutes ago.

Oh I'm gonna be so late! I'm running down the street as fast as I can to get to school.

I don't think the final bell rang yet but I can't take any chances!

I finally make it and decide to take the short cut Terezi told me about. There is a widow that leads to an empty room right next to our class, it is always unlocked. I slow down to a fast walk when I see Eridan walking by and into the school the normal way.

He stops when he sees me but I keep on walking and hope I can get in before he says anything.

"Nep?" He asks. I stop in my tracks. "Hi Eridan, nows not a good time. I'm gonna be late." I explain and hope he will let me go. "Oh, I think I knoww a shortcut ovver here." He says and walks over.

"I think I know the same one, Terezi told me about the unlocked window." I reply. He keeps and walking and I follow him since we are going to the same place. "Say, Nep. I wwas wwonderin if you wwere seein' anyone?" He asks. He should know by now. Maybe he never noticed Sollux and I holding hands? We never made it super obvious. "Actually, I am." I answer. He is nice, a little weird, but nice. I hope I'm not being rude or anything. I have always been a bit of a push over when it came to people's feelings. "That's a shame. Cause you know.." He begins and grabs my wrists.

"Uh Eridan." I say, it doesn't stop him. No way. He isn't, right? Right?!

He pushes me against the wall of the school. "I alwways knoww howw to havve a good time." He finishes and tries to kiss me. With my hands above my head there isn't much I can do. I let out a short scream to shock him away or something.

"Noww noww, don't be like that. If you givve me a chance." he says.

"Get the furrick off me!" I yell and lift my feet up off the ground, then kick his stomach.

He flies back and I fall to the floor with my back scraping on the brick wall. Thank goodness for my jacket. I rub the back of my head and in just a second, see Sollux running up. Karkat a little bit behind him. "Nep! You ok?!" He asks. "I'm fine now." I answer. He kneels down next to me and give me a hand. We stand up and he continues to hold my hand.

"Wwhat the fuck Nep?!" Eridan asks as he sits up. "You!" Sollux yells and let's go of me. Eridan starts to scramble away when Karkat grabs the shoulder of his shirt and holds it in a fist. "I didn't do anyfin! Let go of me!" He yells.

"You perverted liar!" I yell back. Sollux marches over and grabs the front of his shirt, shooing away Karkat. "Get her to clath." He says, not taking his eyes off of Eridan. I let out a pleasant sigh and walk up next to Sollux. "Don't do anything to get in too much trouble." I say and kiss him on the cheek. I kinda just wanted to mess with Eridan, but it never hurts to show a little love.

Me and Karkat head inside. We take our time walking since we were already late enough.

"Not gonna explain?" He asks as he puts his hands in his pockets.

"Not much to tell. He seemed nice when he saw me, trying to get to a short cut to class. Then he kinda just pounced on me." I explain. "Looks like I was right about his perverted ways. You sure your ok?" He replies. "Yeah. I can handle myself pretty well." I answer.

"What about you? Kankri doing ok?" I ask. "Yeah, he's doing a lot better thanks to you. I just don't want him to go back to school with those jack asses there. I've got him to stay home this whole time." He answers. "It's probably a good idea. But he probably wont be able to stay home next week.

You should think of something. I don't want to have to see him in any more pain but he has to get back out." I reply. "Yeah. I know." He says. I stop, making him stop with me by putting a hand on the side of his arm. "But are you doing ok?" I ask and pull him around to look at me.

"I guess. I could be better but besides worrying for him I'm not anymore pissed at things then normal." He answers. I smile at him and wait for him to smile back before moving. "I'll talk to you later." I say calmly before walking into the class room.

"Miss Leijon. You better have a good excuse, you have missed almost half of the class."

"I'm sorry. But I was sexually attacked, and then rescued." I answer and take my seat. Terezi, even though she can't see, stares at me. As does Feferi. "Do you need to go to the nurse or the principle?!" She asks. "No that's alright. I kicked him in the stomach and then my boyfriend and his friend came to save me. So if Sollux Captor get's called to the principle's office, can you vouch for him? He was protecting me but I don't know what he did to Eri- the guy." I reply. "Yes, of coarse..." says and awkwardly carries on with class.

After class Terezi and Feferi started hounding me with questions. After I answered we decided to go back to Feferi's for a slumber party after school. And since school was the same as always other then the fact that Eridan didn't come to lunch, I'm gonna skip ahead to the sleepover.

We all are sitting around in the living room of this big house. I would describe it but I don't think I can besides the fact that it reminds me of being in a aquarium. And there is a lot of white.

It's so big and nice! We set up sleeping bags in a circle after moving the coffee table out of the way. There is large TV above a fire place so it the perfect spot to be! And we don't have to worry about family or anyone hearing because no one is home. There is a bunch of candy and popcorn in the center of the sleeping bag circle. Terezi is eating all of the red jelly beans and liquorice as we speak.

"So what was it you and Karkrab were talking about before you came to class?" Feferi asks.

"Ok. So this is kinda a huge deal. And I can't give you details because he made me promise not to tell anyone anything." I begin, this catches their attention. "Kankri got really hurt and he needed help so Karkitty called me and I had to treat a broken rib. So I was asking how he and Kankri were doing." I explain as vaguely as I can. "A broken rib?! That's awful!" Feferi says. "Yeah. I felt so bad when I was wrapping the gos around him because I had to hold the rib in place and he was in so much pain.

He screamed and everything." I reply. Feferi kind of gasps. "What did he look like?" Terezi asks.

"What?" I as in reply. "I hear that guys in pain are sexy. Is it true?" She asks.

"Hmm. Well, back arched, shirt off, tight muscules. I guess he did look pretty hot at the least." I giggle. We all start giggling until I decide to change the subject.

"I've been meaning to ask. Are either of you seeing somebody or anything?" I ask.

"Hehe! No." Feferi answers. "What about Eridan?" Terezi asks her. "I've been friends with him since we were little. But that's all. I know he is pretty weird, and he comes off pervy. But he is reely nice, and he isn't trying to creep people out, he just wants someone to love him. Or at least let him love them." She answers. "So he is like the forever alone meme?" Terezi asks.

"Oh my cod! Yes!" Feferi answers. We all giggle a little more. "What about you Furrezi?" I ask.

"Nah. I just like messing with people." She answers. "Reely? I thought you liked Karkrab since your always teasing him." Feferi says. Why does that sentence bother me? I guess I want her to end up with someone really great for her. "No no no. I just mess with him the most because he has the best reactions! That grouchy ass hat is hilarious." Terezi answers. That's a relief!

I don't want Terezi to like someone who doesn't like her back!

"Oh, that makes sense." Feferi replies. "How are things with Sollux going?" Terezi asks me.

"It's really good! We like to watch movies together and he always let's me pick even though he hates the kind I watch. And there is always something to talk about and laugh about when I'm with him.

I also like listening. It turns out he's been through kind of a lot. I think the thing he needs most is someone to listen to him, I'm so glad it's me!" I answer. "Wow, you sound just perfect with each other!" Feferi replies. "Yeah. Wait. What kind of stuff did he go through?" Terezi asks.

She is a curious person. She calls it 'investigating' but it's just snooping.

"Well, he was a bit closer with his brother then most siblings but he was in a accident last year and got some kind of brain damage. I actually met him to, Mituna is really funny. But you can't touch him, that's one of the brain things. He has a actual spaz attack is you touch him. And what's weird is he is really smart and good at computers and games and things, but when he talks he sounds pretty stupid and weird because he messes up a lot of words and gets so frustrated easy. It's sad. But I guess they are ok now." I explain. "That's sad." Feferi replies. "I'm kinda surprised you guys didn't already know, he told me at lunch on my first day." I say. "What?! I have been in school with him for years, and hung out with him before. He never told me." Terezi replies.

"Oh.. Well it did happen last year." I say. "He still could have said something since then." She pouts.

Feferi and me giggle at her pout face. "Have some red." I say and push the jelly beans back to her.

Of coarse she digs in again. "Have you been to his house before?" Feferi asks.

"Yeah, it's really modern and fancy. Technology is everywhere and everything is black and white.

It looks like a look but don't touch kind of place. His room is much more cozy though." I answer.

"You've been in his woom?" Terezi asks with a mouth full of candy.

"Yeah. Like I said, it was a don't touch kind of place so we decided to hang out in his room.

And oh my gosh! The back half of the roof is made of glass, and on that half there is an attic, which for them, it is called the bee room. How cool is that? He doesn't need a bee suit or anything, that just love him!" I reply. "That's crazy!" Feferi says. We all sit there quiet for a minute, and then for no reason start laughing until we fall over.

I really like hanging out with Feferi and Terezi.

They are so nice to me, and I hope I'm just as nice to them. But I've never been to Terezi's house.

Her cousin lives with her and she says she is a bitch. I'd rather not test it. I've seen her around school in the halls but that's it so I can't say if I agree with her or not. But whatever I guess.

This kind of moment is the thing I love most. When your sitting with your friends, and you all have the same thing in your head, and you don't even have to say anything to know what your all about to do.

True friendship!

It reminds me of Equius. I had some of these moments with him back home. Not as many as I can have with other girls though. But he was the best friend anyone could have.

He was weird, and sweaty, and creepy. But he was nice to me when no one else was.

We met when we were in the second grade. Some boys were teasing me about my hair during recess and he scared them away for me. We were inseparable ever since. He would get teased for breaking things because of his strength. So I would scream and tackle them until they left him alone.

He would always protect me from mean people, or scary things. I don't get scared easy but some things just freak me out. He was bossy though. Man was he bossy. But I know he only did it for me.

He kept me safe.. I didn't always like his rules, and I didn't always follow them.

For example. He always though and still does think, that role playing was foolish and tried to get me to stop. But I still love it. Because of that he never role played with me, but I didn't care.

He could always make me laugh though, and cheer me up. And I did my best to do the same for him.

I couldn't help him as much I don't think. But I was great at giving love advice! He had some crushes and if he had listened to me he would have had a few girlfriends to. But that's ok.

I miss him... A lot.

**((Sorry about how I wrote Eridan for this chapter but I needed it to happen. I'm planning on making him better later on so please don't hate me))**


	10. Chapter 10: Road trip?

"It'th thpring break bitcheth!" I say when I sit down at the lunch table. Nepeta, Karkat, Terezi, Feferi, and Eridan are already there. Our little gang. Eirdan still has a black eye from a few days ago. And other bruises hidden underneeth his shirt. Hehehe. Touch my girlfriend again and it will be worse. Much worse. Anyway. Spring break is next week. And today is Friday so it is pretty much starting tomorrow. "Big whoop." Karkat says. Grumpy buzz kill. "Don't be such a put down." Terezi snaps at him. "I just don't see the big deal about one week of freedom." He replies.

"Are you crazy!? Spring break is like that first week of summer where you go out with your friends on a day trip or something!" Nepeta jumps in. "Exactly! That'th what we should do!" I reply.

"What?" Feferi asks. "All of uth, we're gonna go on a trip." I explain. I am actually excited.

Kind of shocking I'm sure. "Yeah!" all of the girls shout and put their hands in the air.

They _really_ are best friends. "Fine. But where the fuck are we even gonna go?" Karkat asks.

"Umm. Everybody think about where you want to go, once you get home we can talk on pethterchum to decide." I answer.

Naturally that's what we do. But as soon as I get home I get greeted by a phyco Mituna.

"Why are you touching me? Why are you still touching me?" He is asking Cronus, one of his friends from collage, not that he is attending yet even. I don't see how they are friends.

Cronus is like Eridan but he thinks the 80s are cool and insits on acting like he is living in them.

And when he starts talking he ignores what your saying unless your yelling.

That's why I don't like him hanging out with Mituna. He doesn't like to inturrupt people or yell.

But of coarse the yelling happens anyway if you don't stop touching him. Or if he gets really frustraited. But right now Cronus is still has a hand on his shoulder while blabbering away.

I walk farther into the house and wait for Mituna to snap or for Cronus to figure out that he is shivering and mumbling. They have known each other for years so I don't know why Cronus is still so stupid.

But he is. I stand behind the couch where they are sitting and wait to see what happens.

Mituna starts shaking more. He starts twitching as well. This is the part where Cronus normally notices and backs off. But aparently not today. "W-why are you still..? W-why-askjhsdfhsdkf huiehdg!" Mituna starts freaking out. "Woah, chill out man!" Cronus replies to the spaz attack.

I just look at him. "Really Cronuth? You theriouthly didn't thee thith coming?" I ask and bend over the back of the couch. The beauty of Mituna is the people he is closet to can touch him without him freaking out. Me and Latula are those people. It takes a long time and a really good relationship for that to work of coarse. I hug Mituna from behind and shoosh him. He starts to mellow out and I just sigh. My phone starts making that sound that only pesterchum makes.

"You ok?" I ask. "Mhm." He answers. I let him go and glare at Cronus.

"Thtop fucking touching him." I say right before walking to my room.

I sit down at my computer and open up pesterchum.

CarcinoGeneticist [CG] has invited you to a memo

TwinArmageddons [TA] has joined memo

CG: WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? THIS WAS YOUR IDEA.

TA: Miituna had a paniick attack. II had to calm hiim down.

AC: :33 is he ok?

TA: Yeah, he'2 ok now. But II have two check on hiim later.

GC: W3LL L3T'S HURRY UP TH3N

CG: GOOD IDEA.

CC: SO W)(AT DID -EV-ERYON-E )(AV-E IN MIND FOR T)(-E TRIP?

AC: :33 I was thinking we could go camping

CG: NOT EVEN GONNA HAPPEN.

TA: 2orry Nep

GC: W3 COULD GO TO 4N 4MUS3M3NT P4RK?

TA: Not a bad iidea

CC: I WAS T)(INKING W-E COULD GO TO MY PAR-ENT'S B-EACH HOUS-E

CA: wwhat about a wwater park?

CG: WHY DON'T WE JUST FUCKING GO ON A ROAD TRIP?!

TA: Also bot a bad iidea.

CG: I WAS KIDDING

TA: II'm not.

AC: :33 this is awesome! when do we go?

GC: WHY NOT MOND4Y?

TA: Work2 for me

CC: P-ERF-ECT!

CA: That wworks for me. And Nep?

CG: WOAH WOAH WOAH. ARE WE ACTUALLY DOING THIS?

AC: :33 Yeah Eridan?

TA: Yeah. Thii2 ii2 happening Kk. Deal wiith iit.

CA: I wwanted to apologize about the other day.

AC: :33 It's ok I guess. I mean. You scared the crap out of me but you got beat up so it's ok now.

CA: Reely? Thanks

AC: :33 No problem?

TA: Waiit. There ii2 a problem here. 1, Who'2 gonna driive? And 2, what car are we u2iing?

GC: W3 COULD US3 MY P4R3NT'S C4R? TH3Y H4V3 4 V4N TH3Y DON'T US3 MUCH

TA: Work2 for me. Tho2e of u2 who can driive can take turn2

AC: :33 I have to go. Sollux, tell me how we are meeting up on Monday and when, the next time we talk that is.

TA: 2ure thiing.

And then everyone pretty much get's offline one by one.

This should be cool-wait. I'm gonna be alone in a car with not just my girlfriend and by angry best friend. Noooo It will be us, in a car, for hours, with Eridan and the other crazy girls.

What the fuck did I just get us into?

== Be Karkat

I close my laptop and think for a second. I can't fucking believe I just agreed to be in the same car with these annoying fucks for hours on end. God this is gonna suck.

I walk out of my room and into Kankri's.

"Hey Kankri, aparently I'm going on a road trip to Feferi's beach house on Monday." I say.

"You're what?! I refuse to let a bunch of teenagers such as yourselfs go driving to who knows where without any supervision!" Here we go. "Kankri, it's fine. We can take care of ourselfs, and we have phones. Most of us can drive and we will be taking Terezi's car. What could go wrong?" I reply.

I see him take a breath in before speaking. Shit shit! "Kankri wai-" And there he goes. Well, I know this doesn't have some kind of deep meaning to it. I sit down and pull my phone out my pocket while I wait for him to finish. Which of coarse takes fucking forever. But when he does I finally stand up and leave. "Karkat were you listening?" He asks as I walk out the door. "Nope." I answer and close the door behind me. This is going to be ok I guess. At least I don't have to worry about him being at school thanks to the break. I completely forgot when I was talking to Nepeta about it. I guess she did to.

Once down the stairs I go to the kitchen and go straight to the fridge. I. Need. Icecream.

Congrats to me for making up the random sentence of the day for your pathetic life.

I go up to my room with a large bowl of frozen goodness and flop down on my bed.

I grab my laptop and start watching a rom com. Wait.

I'm sitting alone in my room, watching a rom com, and eating a ton of icecream. Fuck I'm a loser.

But a loser with great taste in entertainment, bitch.

**((Blarg! Sorry about this being late but I read over it again before uploading and changed my mind on a lot of it so bleeeeeh. There should still be another chapter on Sunday. Let's hope I don't put off re-reading that one until the last second...who are we kidding of course I'm gonna put it off. But I wont be late!))**


	11. Chapter 11: Sugar rush road trip

It's Monday. Me, karkat, Nepeta, Terezi, Feferi, and Eridan are all going on a road trip to Feferi's family beach house, and are staying there for the rest of the week.

I am waiting in the living room with my backpack by my feet. Feferi is driving for the first while.

Then it will be my turn. After a few minutes more of playing Iphone games and beating everyone's high scores, there is a knock on the door.

I stand up, grab my bag, and open the door.

"Sup Sollux. Ready to go?" Terezi asks. "Yeah, one thec." I answer as I sling the bag over my shoulder. I turn around and shout to Mituna. "Tuna, I'm leaving!" I hear him stumble around a bit until he comes out of his room. He leans over the railing and waves. "Bye Thollux!" He shouts back.

"Don't fall! And don't let Cronuth touch you if you don't want him to for fuck'th thake!" I yell right before walking out. After I lock the door I follow Terezi to the van. Wait. It doesn't look like a van to me. It's just a big car. She climb into the front and I get in the back. There are 2 rows of 3 seats and a decent sized trunk, all the seats are layed down so there is a ton of space.

One seat on the other side is up and Nepeta is ocupying it. Karkat is pouting in the corner of the back and Eridan is just sitting around like a twat around the middle area. I dump my bag where the others are, behind Terezi's seat, then settle in the other corner. "Hi Pawlux!" Nepeta greets me.

I see no one is bothering with seat belts today. She continues whatever girl talk with Terezi and Feferi as she leans over the middle console so that half of her is in the front. "Hey Sol." Eridan says.

"Hey." Karkat joins the greetings. "Thup." I reply.

I pull out my headphones and Ipod and start playing my music. I close my eyes and zone out until I hear a squeal, probably Nepeta. I open my eyes and see her reaching for the volume knob of the radio.

Fuck that's loud! It completely blocks out my music. I take out the headphones and put it all away.

I look around a bit, Karkat is zoned out, ignoring the music the best he can while staring out the window. Eridan is sitting awkwardly like before, not really doing anything. Lost in thought I guess.

In the front, the girls are sining along to whatever god forsaken song.

"Can you turn that down for fuck's sake?!" Karkat yells. He cracked.

"No!" Nepeta replies. "That'th my girl." I say. "Oh shut up Sollux." He snaps.

"Whatever Kk." I reply. "That doesn't even fit the context right now!" He yells.

"Thomeone doethn't like car rideth." I say, mostly to my self as I look out my window.

"Just shut the fuck up already." He snaps. "Your the one thtill talking." I reply.

"Ugh! Now we're both talking fucktard!" He yells. "God, calm down Kk." I say.

"I can't fucking hear myself think with this music playing! It's not even the same song anymore! What is this shit!?" He yells to himself. I reach in front of Eridan and put a hand on Karkat's shoulder.

"Calm, the, fuck, down. Idiot." I say and get back to my computer based thoughts.

"God Sollux. Why the hell are you so retarded sometimes? Wait no. It's all the time." He grumbles.

"What did you juth thay?" I ask. "Did I fucking stutter?" He counter asks.

"Look who'th the fucking fuck ath now!" I yell. I put my headphones back in to drown him out.

In a few seconds he rips the Ipod away from me and blasts the volume.

"FUCK!" I yell and pull out the earbuds. "Karkat you dick!" I yell and grab his arm to take back the Ipod. "What do we have here? A special song? Sung by you?" He asks and unplugs the headphone from it so everyone will hear it. "No you douche!" I yell and launch over to him. We slap around the Ipod until to goes flying onto Eridan's head. "Oww! Wwhat the hell?" He asks.

"Sollux back off! I let it go!" Karkat yells. "No you dick head! Your gonna pay for your doucheness!" I yell back. We begin slapping and trying to punch each other. Then kicking is added.

We fall back so he is on top of me and we are basically ressling. "Umm." Eridan hums in confusion.

I rip my arm out of Karkat's hand and hit Eridan in the stomach. "No wway!" He yells and jumps into the fight.

== Be Nepeta

We have finally reached an end to the songs we wanted to sing so Terezi turns down the volume.

"Ow!' I yell when I get hit in the head with a shoe. I turn around to see all 3 guys trying to hit each other. Sollux is on his back, holding Eridan's arm with his leg pushing his head away. I think that's some kind of arm bar. Karkat is on his knees, gripping Sollux's hair with one hand and slapping Eridan away with the other. Eridan is kind of stuck there.

I crawl back there. "Knock it off!" I yell. I get kicked on my hip and I fall back.

"What the fuck you guys?" Terezi asks. "I don't even know what I am smelling you do!" She says and climbs back with us. Sollux let's go of Eridan's arm, continuing to push his head to the floor though, he pushes Karkat's arm until his hand flies out of his hair and hits Terezi across the face.

"Oh fuck no!" She yells and grabs the back of Karkat's shirt. She pulls him away from the others and he falls on his back, his head landing on my lap. She then hits Sollux with her cane, I'd guess the diaphram since he doubled over into a ball on the ground after the hit him.

The she nails Eridan in the side of the head. "God you are all so stupid." She says as she watches, er, smells them laying on the floor in pain. "Guys is everyfin ok now?" Feferi asks.

"We are gonna be at a stopping point soon." She continues. The guys just moan. Terezi goes back to the front and sighs. I look down and remember Karkat is laying on my lap.

I blush slightly, thank goodness Sollux if facing the other way or he might start another fight.

Karkat looks up at me and blushes more then I am, he sits up as fast as he can but unfortionatly, he just ends up slamming his forehead into mine. "Fuck! Is your head made of stone? Jesus!" He complains as he lays there with both hands on his head. I just sit there and laugh.

After a minute more of everyone laying around in pain we pull into a gas station.

"We can get snacks while we're here if you want." Feferi says as she hops out of the car to fill up on gas. "I'm gonna get some ice. Do you guys want anything to eat?" I ask as I slide out from under Karkat. They all reply no in a moan. Terezi and I start laughing at them. "And you guys wonder why you're single." She jokes. "Terezi, you wanna come see if they have anything red?" I ask before opening my door. "Sure!" She replies and we both walk into the little store.

We go to the candy first. I love sweet things. "I smell plastic. And rainbows." She says.

"Hehe. Any idea what we should get them?" I ask. "They said they didn't want anything." She replies. "I know but they're guys. They want something." I say. "True. This smells weird. Karkat can have it." She says and points to a bag of some kind of brown squares. Oh! It's just caramelle!

… I wonder if he gets sugar rushes.. Time to find out. "Sure." I reply.

She grabs the bag and we move on. She perks up and follows a scent. "It smells like sour and red. And sugar." She says and grabs a bag of red balls, "Cherry sours! I used to love those on road trips!" I squeal. "Cool." She replies. Ok, 2 down, 4 to go. It seems all of the candy we are getting is gonna be in a bag, because I see the perfect thing for Eridan. They are little shark shaped gummies.

Looks yummy! I grab it and look around for something to get Sollux. Oh my god.

I could get him a jar of honey! They are small jars anyway. Yeah. I'm doing it.

Ok, 2 more. I grab gummy worms for Feferi, and then find some kind of candy for myself that has the word kitty in it. I don't know what it is, and I don't care, it has kitty in the name!

We set it all on the counter, then I remember the ice. I go over to a cooler and grab 3 ice packs for the wimpy boys. And some water. "Ok, now we're ready." I say as I set it all down.

The cashire looks at us with a funny look, "So, cat ears, and a.. Robot?" He asks.

The red glasses must have made him think of robot eyes.

"I'm blind ass hat." Terezi replies. I just giggle. "Oh sorry, well I hope you aren't the one driving." He says. "No no, our fish friend is." I reply, intending in full to weird him out.

"Wait, so I can make sense of most of this. But the ice packs and the honey?" He asks.

"My boyfriend is a bee boy." I answer half of the question. "And I hit the 3 boys with my cane because they were being stupid again." Terezi answers the other half. "Ohh kaay." He replies.

We take our bags and go back to the car. The guys have gotten back to their original sitting set up, but still holding onto the places that were hit. "I got ice." I say. "Whoo." Karkat grumbles.

"Don't be such a put down Karkitty!" I say and toss him a ice pack, frankly I'm not sure where to put it. Then I go over to Eridan seeing as he is closest. I feel around his hair until l I find a bump where he was hit. I gentally put the ice pack on, "Keep this there for a while." I say, he takes it and holds it in place. The I go to Sollux, I lift up his shirt to see where he was hit. "Terezi how hard did you hit them?" I ask. "I don't know." She answers. I guess pretty hard. It is already bruising.

I gentally hold the ice pack there and I was going to have him hold it there but he puts his hands on my back and smirks. I smile up at him and kiss him. I just sit there kissing him, gentally holding the ice pack under his shirt. That is, until Eridan starts making me laugh. He was looking through the bag of treats we got. "Do you realize how terrible of a joke all of this is?" He asks. I giggle and pull out of the kiss. "Here." I say and divy up the candy. "What the fuck is this?" Karkat asks when he looks at the bag I tossed him. "Caramel. Haven't you had it before?" I ask. "No. What the fuck is it?" He asks in reply. "You'll see. They're good and sweet." I answer. "Really? Sharks? Gummy sharks?" Eridan asks. "Yes, you're lucky we got you anything at all so shut your yap." Terezi snaps, opening her red candy bag. "Yay worms! They're so cute!" Feferi squeals. I hand the jar of honey over to Sollux.

Karkat catches this and decides to be annoying about it. "They really pegged you didn't they? Nepeta, do you realize what a bad idea this is? Do you know what happened the last time he had honey?" He starts. "Kk, shut up. It ith jutht honey." Sollux cuts him off. I just laugh.

Wait. What did happen last time he ate honey? Oh well. I guess I'll find out. If it was something that would hurt him he wouldn't eat it so it has to be safe. Probably just a sugar rush or something.

We all start eating our candies and Feferi starts driving.

"So Nepeta, how is that unknown candy?" Terezi asks. "It's. Interesting." I answer. I don't even know how to describe it. "It uh, it's really hard and it doesn't want to break." I continue.

I bite down on it hard with my sharpest teeth. The little yellow ball splits open and a goo spills onto my tounge. "Meowracles." I say softly. It's like my head is being filled with rainbows!

I'm not high or anything! It's like. Something no one can describe.

"What is this stuff anyway? It tastes really good... And sweet. What is it?" Karkat asks quickly.

I have a really bad feeling all of a sudden. I look over at Sollux to see him eating the honey with his hands, we must look like freaks. The way Sollux is eating the honey, me and my meowracle kitty candy, and Karkat is getting a sugar rush. This is so funny!

"Are you guys ok?" Terezi asks and looks back. Karkat moves forward and leans over so his and Terezi's faces are side by side. "HeyTerezidoyouknowwhatisincaramell? Ican'tfigureitoutbecauseittasteslikesugarbutatathe sametimeitdoesn't." I don't even know what he said. He is talking so fast his words are clumped together. "You smell like an unhealthy amount of sugar. Like a cavati." She says. He backs away and falls over. "Heyheyheyhey,guys. Didyouknowtheroofofthecarhasastainonit?howdidthate venhappen?" He starts babling every thought in his head. I have made a huge mistake.

I look back at Sollux again. "Sollux?" I ask. He is in a total daze, still eating the honey like a creeper.

I crawl over to him. "Sollux? I think you have had enough honey." I say calmly and reach for the jar.

"My honey." He snaps. "Nepeta, did we seriously mess up their heads?" Terezi asks.

"Yeah. I think so." I answer and look out the window. "Fefurry pull over." I say.

"What?" She asks. "Just pull over!" I command. She finds a place to pull over, and does.

"I'll be right back!" I say and hop out of the car. I race down the street until I reach the set of apartments I was looking for. Let's see. 214... There it is! I climb up the railing instead of up the stairs and knock on the door. "Hey sis!" Gamzee says when he opens the door.,

We haven't been driving for long so it was easy to recognize where we were.

"Hi Gamzee! We are going to a beach house and who knows what else for spring break. Do you wanna come?" I ask. "Sure! One motherfucking sec." He answers. I wait in the door until he comes back with a back pack that clearly has faygo in it along with his clothe.

We start walking down the street to get back to the car. "Do you know how to calm Karkat down? I gave him to much sugar and he is freaky now. And Sollux is eating honey and looks weird and kinda high." I ask. "I don't know about mr. honey bunches but Karbro is easy." He answers.

We get back to the car and we climb into the back like before.

"Sup bros and sises." Gamzee says to greet everyone. "HiGamzeeIdidn'tknowyouwerecomingwithus! Didyoubringfaygo? Faygocouldbereallygoodrightnow!" Karkat starts blabbering.

"Mother fuck! How much sugar did you give him?" Gamzee asks. "Well that bag of caramel, it used to be full." Terezi answers. "He ate it all?!" I ask. "Yeahanditwasreallyreallygood! Whatisitmadeoutofanyway?" He asks. "Sugar, it is just melted sugar." I answer.

"Wellfuck! Don'tyouknowhowicangetwhenIeatsugar? Youaguysaresofuckingstupidsometimes!" He replies. "Karbro! Calm down!" Gamzee shouts. "Iamcalmyoufaygoobsesseddouche!" Karkat yells back. Gamzee presses his thumb into the back of Karkat's neck. His eyes roll back and he falls over.

"Pressure point." He says in reply to my confused look. "Ok. I'll keep that in mind next time." I reply.

Now for problem number 2. I lean forward on my hands and knees. "Sollux. Sollux put the honey down." I say and reach for the jar. He pulls away. "My honey!" He snaps. Oh god he sounds weird.

There is honey dripping down his chin and off of his hand. "Sollux give me the jar!" I yell.

"No!" He yells back. This was such a mistake. I continue to try and grab the jar but he just slaps my hand away every time. "Ugh! Furrget it!" I yell and sit back. I look at my bag of candy.

I might as well join the phycos. I grab a handful and munch down until they all break.

"Mother furricking meowracles!" I scream.

I don't know what happens next... I kinda black out.

I open my eyes and look out the window from where I am laying. I think I was sleeping for a while because I don't recognize the area. Where am I even laying? I sit up a little and find myself on Sollux.

Aw, he is so cute when he is sleeping! Wait a sec. Karkat is still sleeping to, Gamzee and him are leaning against each others shoulders. Eridan is curled up in the corner by himself and Terezi is sitting quietly in the front seat still. I don't think she is sleeping though.

When I look back up at Sollux I notice the honey still on his mouth, and-oh my gosh!

I remember! I sit back and take the honey out of his hand. I stuff it and the rest of the left over candy in the bag, then I tie it up so no one can reach any of it. That was such a bad idea.

The honey does smell sweet though. I grab his hand and lick the honey off of his fingers.

He flinches, causing me to look back up at him. He just smiles with his eyes half way closed still.

I reposition myself to be next to him, I lean up and lick the honey off his lip. He chuckles softly.

I just smile and lay my head on his chest, hugging him. We fall asleep, the final thoughts in my head are pleasant. He is so amazing. I want to say I love him.. But it's to soon.

**((I'm sorry. Yeah. I know it is really weird and probably a waste of a chapter but it was 1am and I wanted to try and make it funny. I'll try not to do things like this as often though so don't worry I wont be melting your thinkpans with my silliness.))**


	12. Chapter 12: Arriving

**((So I'm giving y'all an update real quick but knowing me it wont be quick at all. 1, I have had most of the following chapters written for a long time but wanted to upload them with a schedual so I don't fall behind and blah blah that didn't work. I am not going to upload pretty much every chapter I have written at once so be prepared for a lot of reading if you are one of those awesome people that will read all of the updates. If you aren't that's ok because neither am I.**

**2, Almost all of these were written on either my phone or my ipad so if there is a word that doesn't make sense at all I blame ato correct and I would appreciate it if you told me where it was so I could fix that little thing but you don't have to, it's cool.**

**3, every chapter I uploaded so far has gotten at least one person asking when the nepkat was really going to start. My answer to that is I'm pretty sure i warned you all this was gonna be a very long story and it still is so with the chapter I am currently writing which is probably number 26-30 (i put future chapter i havent lead up to yet in one doc file for now so I'm not sure of the number sorry) and she is only just then realizing she likes Karkat so you have a little bit of waiting to do ok? Also, just by the way, it's a bit annoying to get those comments asking and every time you ask, I tend to make it take just a tiny bit longer because I am ****_that_****person. Just a warning.**

**4, Holy crap I took waaaaay to long with this A/N so sorry for that and yes most of these chapters are pretty damn long so sorry for that to. But hey I don't leave you hangin' to often at least. Ok enjoy the story if you want to))**

I slowly open my eyes. Holy shit, how long was I sleeping? I don't recognize any of this.

I sit up straight and Gamzee slides against the wall of the car we are leaning against.

His head lands on my arm, I guess we were each others support.

I observe every one in the car. Nepeta holding onto Sollux in a corner with his arms around her.

Eridan in the other corner, curled up in a sad little ball.

I slowly move away from the wall, careful not to let Gamzee wake up, and open up my backpack.

I pull out my headphones but pause. Nepeta's bag is open and there is a note book sticking out of it.

I can't help it. Curiosity killed the Karkat. I pull it out and start flipping though it.

Holy shit. This is amazing, and I don't mean when you see your friends work and say it's awesome but in your head you see problems or something. No, this is insane. Amazing sketches with details everywhere, amazing shadowing, insanely real. It's mostly of the outside of shops, or views of trees.

"Karkitty?" Nepeta asks, I turn around to see her rubbing her eyes and looking adorably confused.

Wait, did I just say adorably? Whatever. Just a fact. You can't blame me for stating a fact.

"Is that my sketch book?" She asks. Shit, I bet I wasn't supposed to touch it.

"Uhh.." Shit what do I say. "I'll put it back." I say quickly. "Hang on." She stops me.

She is still half asleep but she crawls over, considering no one can move around in here without being on their hands and knees, I'm calling it a crawl. She scooches close and sits.

Why am I still on edge? She takes the book from me and flips to a certain page.

"These are new." She says and passes the book back. "Damn Nep." They are pictures of us.

All of us. "Did you draw us while we were sleeping?" I ask. I mean, Eridan is in the same position now as in the sketch of him. Sollux to. And then I guess this one is me and Gamzee from a minute ago. "Yeah. You're all so cute." She answers. "Heh, what about you miss cat girl?" I reply.

Aw fuck! Why did I say that? "Hehe. Thanks. Oh, and this is Terezi, it probably matches her still." She says and flips to another page. The other pictures were smaller and all fit on to the one page since it is so big. Once she flipped to the next one I see the one of Terezi, then I look at her.

Yup, sleeping just like this. On the other half of the page there is Feferi, but since she is awake she is smiling for the picture. I guess we were sleeping for a while if Nepeta could wake up, draw all of us, and then go back to sleep. I'm still tired. Then again, waking up is the worst thing all the time because you still feel tired since your brain isn't fully functioning yet.

"These are freakishly amazing." I say. "Thanks." She replies and smiles.

She still looks so sleepy, it's fucking cute. I flip to the next page and see a big picture of just me, still sleeping but she set it up so it is just my waist and up and Gamzee isn't in it. Except for his shoulder since that is what I was leaning on. She made me look awesome.

Next page and it is Sollux, a full body picture but still a much bigger and better one then before.

"You should put yourself in a picture for once, if you could that is. You look like a baby kitten when your sleeping." Wait. Another thing I wish I didn't say! I don't even know!

I am literally not thinking about anything before it comes out of my mouth.

"Thank you. But it is hard to draw yourself. I have to see what I'm drawing." She replies.

"I would do it for you but I can't draw for crap. I can sing pretty well though." I say.

"Really? Sing something for me!" She asks and shifts her position. I do to, we are now both sitting cross-legged and facing each other. "Not gonna happen." I reply. "Purrleeeeaaaasssee!" She begs.

Then she uses the best puppy dog face in the world, but I guess for her it's a kitty cat face.

"_Maybe_ when we get back." I say. "But there is a guitar at the house if that's what your worried about." She is persistent "There is?" I ask. "Yeah, in a closet down stairs I think. Fefurry told me when she found out I like to sing." She answers. "You sing?" I ask. "Yeah. If I find a song that fits how I am feeling then I record it. It's kind of like a diary." She explains with a smile.

"Hm.. I'm still not singing for anyone." I continue. She starts pouting and I start chuckling. "Don't laugh." She snaps and pushes my shoulder, making me rock backwards. I come riiight back up and we both start laughing.

"We're almost there guys." Feferi says. Oh shit I forgot she could hear us! Wait, almost there, already? I look out the window, it is sun set. Damn. I look back at where Nepeta was, but she is now waking up Sollux. She is still on the hands and knees position, straddling on of his legs, using her right hand to pat his face and her left hand as support.

He wakes up and smiles at her. "Welcome to the awake world." She says softly and give him a peck.

"That'th not how you wake thomeone up." He says just as calmly.

"Thith ith!" He finishes and rapid fire tickles her. Her loud laughter wakes everyone else up.

"Alright! Another motherfucking tickle fight!" Gamzee says and jumps into the 'fun'

"I wanna play to!" Terezi says and climbs into the back with us, she walks on her knees over to Nepeta. She pulls her away from Sollux, Gamzee and Eridan start their own tickle fight as well.

"Get your own cat girl!" Sollux yells. "No! She's mine!" Terezi shouts.

"Oh my god" Nepeta laughs. She starts gasping for air as she screams her laughter out.

Her breathing quickens, does she have asma or something?

"Let her breath for fucks sake." I say bluntly. Terezi tares her vision away from Sollux, who she was keeping at bay with her foot in his face, and looks at me. Then down at Nepeta.

She snickers and gets off of her. I look at Nepeta as she regains her breath, eyes closed and a giant smile on her face like before. She is blushing the slightest bit, which makes it so much harder to look away. I don't see why I would need to. The smile on her face fades to a smaller one and she puts her arms above her head, keeping her elbows bent so she doesn't push me.

Once she finishes stretching she lays there, her relaxed eyes looking over at Sollux who is smiling back at her. I can't remember the last time I saw him enjoy someone's company this much.

It's been forever since he has dated. Actually, he hasn't been with anyone since Aradia went into her coma. I don't really blame him. I get lost in thought as she looks out the windows, then to the front where Feferi still is of coarse, and then up at me. Wait. Fuck. I just got caught staring.

"Karkitty?" She asks. "Huh? Oh uh, yeah?" I ask as I snap out of my thoughts.

"Ff said we're here." Sollux says. Fuck. I didn't even notice we stopped!

And even worse, I didn't just get caught staring, I got caught while lost in though about who knows what for all they know. "Oh. Cool." I reply and turn to my backpack, maybe if I don't look at them they wont see my blush. We all grab our stuff and climb out of the car.

"Thorry you had to drive the whole way." Sollux says to Feferi.

"I don't mind. I like driving!" She replies. She opens the door for everyone and I have to say. It is a normal beach house, I was expecting something stupid considering how rich she must be.

When you first walk in you are pretty much in a wall-less hallway by how the furniture is arranged

To the right there is a couch with it's back to the pathway, a coffee table in front of it and 2 chairs, one on each side of the couch. To the left is the kitchen that has a big breakfast bar and behind it are all of the normal kitchen things. Counters going across the entire wall and fridge and shit.

To the back is a set of stairs that leads to a long hall way going somewhere I can't see from here, probably all of the bedrooms. Behind the stairs there are sliding glass doors.

We walk up the stairs and Feferi steps in front of us all. "Ok, so there aren't enough rooms for everyone so some of us are gonna have to room together." She says.

"Dibs on Nepeta!" Terezi shouts and grabs her arm. Nepeta giggles in reply.

"Eridan? You can room with me." Feferi says happily. "Ok." He replies.

"How about you and me room together best bro?" Gamzee asks and putts an arm around me.

"Fine whatever. Just don't touch me." I answer and swat this hand to get him to let go.

We all separate into our rooms. Sollux is the lucky bastard that gets a room to himself..

I throw my bag on my bed and flop down next to it. It's weird how you can be so tired even after hours upon hours of sleep. Whatever I guess. We sort of lounge in our rooms for a little while.

Until Feferi comes knocking on the door. "Hey! We're going to make a fire outside. Come out when you can!" She says and walks off. We head outside, to the back porch and sit on one of the benches out there.

"Now, kk. How about you explain what'th been up." Sollux says as I sit down.

"You can't ask something more pleasant?" I reply. "No. No I can't." He answers.

I look away and scratch the back of my head. I see, out of the corner of my eye, Nepeta looking away as well. She knows it had something to do with Kankri...

"Nep?" Eridan asks her. "Hm?" She asks. Still not looking at any of them. What a shitty liar.

"You know thomething?" Sollux asks. "Why would I?" She asks in reply and looks at him.

"You do look like you know something." Feferi chimes in. "I smell nerves" Terezi says.

"Nope. I just saw something over there. I think it was a lizard." She replies.

I look over at where she was looking, just like everyone except for Sollux who just glances in the direction. Gamzee gets up and walks over to the wall of the house. "I found it!" He says and squats down, picking up a little lizard.

So she makes it obvious she is hiding things but she is good at making up excuses.

"Told you!" She giggles. Sollux didn't take his eyes off of her the entire time and had the same odd look on his face. "Well how about we brighten this mother fuckin' mood a bit? It's to serious and shit." Gamzee says as he sits back down with the lizard climbing up his arm.

Nepeta ends up taking it away when it gets in his hair. And we continue being these stupid fuckers until it gets real late. Then we head inside and I start to think about her request for me to sing. The only thing I really can sing is 'Don't you dare forget the sun' and nobody wants to hear that loud piece of shit. And also the one thing I wrote. There is no way in hell I would let them hear that. But now I can't stop repeating the lyrics in my head. I lay on the bed wide awake and start humming the tune. Damn it. I get up and head downstairs, looking for the closet Nepeta mentioned with the guitar.

They are all in their rooms, probably sleeping, so I have to be quiet for this. I find the guitar in the dark closet and walk outside. There is a set of stairs out here leading to the roof. Why not? I tretch up and sit down, letting my legs hang off. After a few minutes of silence I start strumming the guitar part in the beginning.

/listen/bwtm

When I go on the parts saying there are reasons, I remember what Kankri said. Having to watch the world around me die, that's everything I've been through. Sure, it's not like I have had the worst life in the world. But it sure as hell feels like it sometimes.

All of my emotions poured out when writing it. And if I'm right, is coming out now by the look on my face.

"When I tell myself that this is all my fault..." I hate that line. It fits. And it's good. But...

I do blame myself. For pretty much everything. There are so many things I could have stopped from happening if I knew. But I didn't do anything... When it is finished I lay back for a few minutes to think. There was one thing that confused me.

I blame myself for mom dying, there is Kankri and his reasons, the other stupid things I fucked up. I really do brake promises sometimes. The guilt of things like that can eat me up sometimes. When the person I promised finds out I broke it they are so heart broken. It doesn't seem fair.

But to get to the point. I believe in everything I said in that song. But what the fuck was that one line?

"The stars have gone dark and I'm shaking. No questions why I deserve anything." I don't get it.

How can I write something I don't understand? It just felt right... Like I knew what I was saying, the same way I did with every other line. I just don't get it...

**((Not my song! I just really really love it))**


	13. Chapter 13: Venting time

Its Wednesday now. We are still at the beach house of coarse. But things have been weird for me. Its all been a blast so far but... Nepeta keeps looking at me with this look in her eyes that I can't figure out. And on top of that Sollux has been weird to, he adds this feel to the room when I'm around that creeps me out. Its because of what happened at the fire, I know it. He is suspicious about me and Nepeta. Nothing is going between us but the fact that she and I are keeping a secret is abnormal. I get why he is acting this way but he's wrong.

Right now we are all chilling in the living room. Sollux has his arm around Nepeta on the couch, Feferi is next to them. I'm in a chair, Eridan in the other. And Terezi and Gamzee are sitting on the floor. "Hey pawlux?" Nepeta begins. "Yeah?" I Sollux asks. "Do you sing to?" She asks him.

Good question. To my knowledge not much. "Eeeehhh. Not really. I did wath 13 but not anymore." He answers. "Really?! You should sing again!" She beams. "Nope." He replies.

"Wasn't there a song you sang on your ipod?" I ask evilly. is that a word?

"Maybe.. but that wath a while ago. A-Aradia got me to do it..." He answers. "Here you go." Terezi says, sitting back down with his Ipod and passes it to Nepeta.

I didn't even know she left. "Nep no. It'th fucking embarrathing." He says and tries to take it from her. She tosses it to Eridan who presses play. Then Sollux launches over to take it from him and he tosses it to me. "Haha!" I yell as the song begins.

Oh my fucking god. This is god damn funny! We all start snickering and half way through the song he finally rips it away from me, blushing slightly. He flops back down on the couch with his arms folded. Nepeta hugs him and sets her head on his shoulder. "I think it's sweet." She says.

The corners of his mouth curl up a bit. "So how come we haven't gone swimming yet?" Terezi asks to break the new silence. "Oh yeah! We could go now if you want?" Feferi replies. We exchange 'yeah's and nods and go to our rooms to change into swim suits.  
Once we all get outside the girls go jumping into the ocean, meanwhile us guys are standing there at the edge of the water. Except for Gamzee. He jumps in with the girls. Well, then it's just Eridan and me because Sollux isn't out yet. I think we are standing here because the girls look to cute in their swimsuits. Nepeta in wearing a olive green bikini like her jacket. Feferi has a black skin tight tankini and a swim skirt that cuts down the middle with a normal black bottom underneath, the right piece of the skirt is blue and the left is green, also some goggles. Terezi has a teal bikini, plain and simple. They look all like. Feminine Kind of weird since Feferi is the only one that ever really looks like a girl. Nepeta's jacket hides all of her girly features and sometimes the pink outfit she always has.

And Terezi is Terezi. "Come on seaweed shorts!" Feferi yells. They already got waist deep and considering how slowly it slopes she had to yell for us to hear. Eridan runs in and then glides on his stomach until he reaches them. Show off. I just walk in until Terezi races up and grabs my arm. Pulling me farther out to be with the group. "I can walk on my own ass hat." I snap.

"But your to slow!" She shouts. I roll my eyes and let her drag me.

Nepeta giggles, then tackle hugs me. Falling backwards in the water is either better because of the softer landing, or worse because I get covered in fucking water. I close eyes and let myself sink to the bottom with her sitting on me. Its kind of relaxing. I have enough air I can sit here for a minute, and I intend to. I feel Nepeta shifting and then we move. I think Terezi is pushing us because I feel Nepeta's hands on my chest now. We are in slightly shallower water now. I think I should move before they think I'm dead or some shit. Then there is a sharp pinch on the back of my head, right where my hair starts. I sit up fast when the pain strikes, knocking my nose into Nepeta's.

Our heads now out of the water and noses mashed into each other, we sit there for a second as I put an arm behind me for support. "Fuck.." I grumble.

I open my eyes. That must have hurt her because she is stiff and her eyes are as tight shut as they could be. Her hands turning fists, as this happens it feels like her nails are cutting me.

I cringe up at the pain and round my back some, causing our foreheads to meet.

"Theriously, what the fuck?" Sollux asks from behind me with great emphasis on fuck. I turn my head around go see him marching over.

Fuck, this doesn't look shady at all. "No no no Sollux. Its not like that." I say quickly.

"Oh really?" He asks. "Yes really! She tackled me like she does everybody and we fell back. Then something pinched my head and I sat up to fast so our heads hit." I explain as quickly as I can.

He looks like he believes me. I think. I look back at Nepeta, since her stiff body hasn't moved or made a sound.  
"Nep?" I ask and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sollux... It's happening again!" I yell.

He runs over and lands on his knees next to us. "Nepeta, come on. Deep breaths." He says.

She doesn't react this time. He pulls her off of me and now that she isn't in front of my view I see everyone else staring with worried looks. She cringes up and starts shaking. He sits back and hugs her close. "Come on Nep... calm down..." He says. How the hell does he have any idea what to do during a panic attack? I change my position to be sitting on my knees, I put a hand on her shoulder and she flinches, making me remove my hand once again. Everyone else is walking over. "What happened to Nepeta?" Feferi asks. "She's having a panic attack. It happened once before.." I answer. Sollux loosens his grip on her to see if she would be better without being touched. Well I'm assuming that's why. She opens her eyes suddenly and stares straight ahead.

You know the opposite of dilated eyes? Whatever that is where your pupils are tiny. That's going on. I have no clue what to do. This looks way worse then last time. What the fuck triggers it anyway?! She has tackle me and other guys to the ground before but only these 2 times did this happen.

What do I do now? Sollux picks her up and carries her out of the water.

We follow him over to the sand. He lays her down and backs up about a foot to let her adjust on her own. "Shouldn't wwe be doing something?" Eridan asks.

"Nothing we can do. She ith probably uthed to dealing with it on her own tho we should let her." Sollux answers. I can see the fear on his face, so he clearly isn't as calm as his voice lets off.

She rolls onto her side and reaches out, digging her nails into the sand and dragging her hand back, creating a fist full of sand.. We all back up and watch in horror.

She screams at what seems to be the top of her voice. I feel terrified. I bet everyone else is as well. It's like watching someone being tortured.

When she finishes screaming she starts breathing deeply, her eyes dilate back to normal and she lets go of the sand. We all seem to be holding our breath as she regains her own breath and sanity.

She blinks a few times and lets go of the sand, then looks at us all.

"I...I'm sorry." She says softly. Relief spreads through us all.

Sollux hugs her tightly. "You thcared the shit out of me." He says, his voice cracks a few times in the one sentence. I look at everyone now that things have reached a calmer point and I'm not scared out of my fucking mind... As much.

Feferi has a few tears streaming down her face, Terezi's eyes are watering, and the other guys look like they just avoided a heart attack. I bet I look that way to. Sollux is refusing to let her go while she pats him. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." She says softly. He straightens his arms out and stares at her. "For what?!" He asks. "I just... I.. I don't know.. It's a long story." She answers.

She sounds like him, on the verge of tears.

"Why don't you explain it while we have some hot chocolate?" Feferi asks.

"I guess..." Nepeta answers. We all head inside and take our showers and whatever.

Then settle down in the living room with the hot chocolate Feferi mentioned. "Let's hear it." I say.

"I just don't want anyone to think I'm weak. Don't pity me after this ok?" She asks. We all nod.

She takes a deep breath before starting. "It's kind of a mash of things so it really is a long story but um. Here I go. I was little when the first thing happened. My parents always had a love for living things so they were starting an animal sanctuary I don't know who, or why, but they broke into the house and they took my dad away. Mom hid me and Meulin. They were gonna take her to but the big man in black and blue.. He looked at her, then said the room was empty so she could stay. I don't understand any of it because she always said we were to young to hear about it, but then I got old enough that I realized that it would be better to not make her talk about it. I still have nightmares about it. I never saw my dad again..." She begins. I see that this strikes a chord with everyone.

"Later on there were kids at school. They teased me about what my parents did for work, they called me the freaky cat girl. That didn't bother me so much as the fact that they ignored that I don't have a father. They might not have known but it still hurt. The next actually bad thing that happened was a while later, a group of boys followed me home after school. I was 12 or 13. About half way home they raced up and grabbed me. They pushed me against a wall in an alley and started teasing me, a lot worse then anyone had before. I started crying and screaming at them, and the one kid that seemed to be the leader of the 3 slapped me. I kneed him in the stomach and tried to run but the others stopped me. They started touching me, and I started screaming and crying more.

I had only learned some basic self defense from tv so I couldn't stop them. I wasn't very strong either. But I had been learning parkour for several years so I used that. I was able to jump and stay in the air long enough to kick them off, like how I kicked Eridan. And when I fell to the ground my head swung back and hit the brick wall. So I was dizzy after that, I don't remember if I was bleeding or not. Then the leader had gotten back up and he kicked my stomach a few times. The others picked me up by my arms and held me still on top of him. I'm afraid of what could have happened.

But Equius was walking by and heard my screams. You see, he lives in my neighborhood and we were best friends when we were little so we got used to walking back the same way.

He punched them out and picked me up. He set me down around the corner and fought them until they left, or were unconscious. Then he became my best friend again.

And you know that moirail thing I said we invented? That was when we were little and still super close. We had drifted apart before this. But after that we were inseparable

He taught me to fight and be strong. And he gave me my cat hat.

But naturally, because its my life, that wasn't the end of it. The same boys came to my school almost a year before I moved here. I had only had nightmares about them before then but once they reminded me who they were I flipped out. I had a melt down of a panic attack. They did say they wanted revenge or something so you can't blame me.

But I was frozen with fear at first, because Equius wasn't there this time. But they tried to touch me and they took my hat to tease me. So I screamed much louder then I used to and I blacked out.

When I snapped out of my shock they were laying on the floor, bruised and bloody.

I guess I was dangerous because there was blood under my nails and my knuckles were bruised and had their blood on them as well. I took my hat and left. It is the only thing that keeps me calm when I'm being my cuddly self. I mean, hugs and stuff are never a problem but when I tackle hugged Karkitty and end up sitting on him like before, without the hat I black out into a flash back.

Other things trigger it to but that's the most common one. My mom saw me freak out once and started screaming so I got used to apologizing I guess. I don't want people to worry for me.

To look down on me. Everyone at school was terrified so I felt like a freak. That's why I was so happy to move here with Meulin, so I could leave it behind me.

But I guess I can't run from my own mind huh?" She explains.

Fuck. That's all I got. Just. Fuck.

I look around the room. The girls are calmly crying, the guys just look frozen.

Nepeta herself is staring at the floor, looking like she is afraid of what we will say.

No one can get out any words though. But I think I have something.

"How the fuck are you such a happy person?" I ask. She lifts her head, still looking worried.

"We'll belcaws. If I hang onto the sad memories, I can't make any good ones." She says and turns on her smile. "Aw Nepeta!" Feferi squeals, she and Terezi launch forward and hug her.

"That's so amazing!" Terezi says. Nepeta starts giggling and they let go.

"We'll if I'm sharing my past we all are!" She says. "Who's next in the sharing circle?" Terezi chimes in. "Karkitty!" Nepeta says. "Fuck no." I reply. "You're not getting out of this, we all heard that song." She demands. "You.. You what?" I ask. "Yeah Karbro, you got some wicket vocals." Gamzee chimes in. "Fuck." I grunt and facepalm myself. "It's not like any of us were sleeping, of course we came out when we heard you." Terezi explains. "Now spill it!" Nepeta shouts. I feel like I have to now... I sigh and nod. "Not nearly as big of a deal though... I was yelling at Kankri in the back seat because he wouldn't shut up. My mom was driving and she thought the rode was clear so she turned back to make us stop fighting. A truck came around the corner and hit us. I was in the seat behind her so while she was killed I just got a scar. Kankri and my dad were fine though. In a manner of speaking. Kankri always talks to much but I leaned recently that he talks more around others because they all would ask about things that he couldn't talk about. He didn't want to tell them about my mom, because of how I felt about it. Probably how he feels about it to. But because of this, he drives everyone fucking insane and had to pay the price for that a few weeks ago... He got jumped at school. That's the thing Nepeta and I have been hiding, I know you noticed Sollux. I called her to help treat his wounds and made her promise not to tell anyone. I had talked to him about it and he explained everything. Everything that annoys me, he does for me. He pushes everyone away so I don't have to.

I still do anyway... But he tries. He keeps me calm, listens to me about my issues and my pain when he is dying inside. Makes me feel pretty insignificant y'know? The song I wrote, it was based off of all this shit. The thing saying there are reasons. That was him. He has reasons for everything he does. And yeah. I blame myself for shit. A lot of shit. I'm the reason he has to push people away. If he wasn't avoiding people like that he wouldn't have been hurt..." I say and cringe up. "I was the one yelling... If I wasn't so hot headed we wouldn't have wrecked... She wouldn't be fucking dead. My dad wouldn't be the biggest piece of lifeless shit that he is.. While everyone worries about me I don't do anything. I hate myself all the time because of the shit I caused. I lie to everyone about my life.

I stand by every word in that song. I can't sleep. I never can. It's almost impossible. That's why I slept for so long on the way here. I'm shocked I slept at all.

And the worst part of that is how when you lay awake you think about your life.

So I used to make habit of crying myself to sleep. I moved on from that. I don't cry at all anymore.

I guess I'm all dried up. And I can't even tell which is worse. Trying to sleep, or getting up in the morning. Getting up means lying more, and having to stare at my fucking scar. I call it the reminder.

You will never see me with with a short sleeved shirt, I fucking hate having to look at it.

...I'm useless, I can't stop thinking I can do something. But I never do. It eats me on the inside...

I must sound like a fucking retard after what you went through. That is way worse then my pathetic life. " I finish. "It's not pathetic." Nepeta says.

She gets up and sits next to me. She puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Can we just move onto someone else now?" I ask. Terezi raises her hand, "I'll go." She says and puts her arm back down. It seems whoever is talking is going to be sitting on the floor in the middle of the furniture. Well I was on the couch and still am but whatever.

"Well. I guess I haven't had much of a past exactly. I don't have any family to be heart broken about. I mean, I didn't until I was about 13. I found a way to live outside of the system, I got to go to school because of my older cousin. She lives at college and I haven't met her because my house is to far for her to keep going to school. But she set it up so the schools don't know I'm here alone. Then one day I saw some lady outside and I was like, oh shit, who's that. So I went out and talked to her and it turns out people knew about me being on my own. She had come to be my foster mother if i would let her. She was cool so she raised me for the last few years. And then that's how I got here. But that's pretty much it for me. Living on my own wasn't bad, I mean. It was kind of lonely but I had my scale mates to play with so I kept myself company. It was pretty fun. And of course there was the whole going blind thing but she taught me how to use my other senses to see. I've moved on from that, why bother holding a grudge." She explains. I guess she is the most positive of us all huh? Well maybe. I want to see is Feferi has some dark past. Now that would be something.

"What about you Sol?" Eridan asks. "Well I'm thure by now you all know the tale of how Aradia got in her coma. For me that'th pretty much it. I mean. Mituna'th accident wath hard on uth all.

I thtill don't know what happened really. He thayth he can't remember and the only one there wath Kurloz, who ith mute. Latula only found him afterwardth tho I don't know. Whatever it wath, he now hath thpaz attackth when you touch him. I can calm him down pretty eathy, it thure helped to deal with Nepeta'th freak outs. He ith thtill thmart and a mathter of gameth. He'th like.. autithtic now. Fully functioning mind but he hath a hard time showing what he ith thinking. And hath a hard time talking, even if he didn't have a lithp. Bethideth that I gueth it'th jutht the fact that my dad ith probably one of the wortht parentth ever. Never home. Never talkth to uth. It'th like he literally doethn't exitht. And then I put my old love in a coma because of petty dad promlemth and a thtupid thpider bitch. Yay me." He answers. Well then. I guess that really is it for him.

"Oh... Uh, Fef. What about your mom?" Eridan asks. Probably trying to keep things moving and avoid awkward silences. Smart. "Whale... I have a similar issue as Sollux. She is never home.

I never knew my dad. So that isn't something I'm worried about. But she is never around.

She Made me the heiress to her company but I don't want it. My cousin would be better for it anyway.

I would be happy to take over but she wants me to follow the rules she already made.

They are awful! She is a horrible person! I want to make something fresh and fun and new!

I guess it's not really any past issues. But things are kinda bumpy with me and her right now.

We have been getting into arguments a lot lately.." She explains. Ok, I was expecting that much.

"Eridan? What about you?" Nepeta asks. "I got nofin. I mean. I'm tired of being alone all the time.

But Fef helps me not feel so alone. I guess I'm pretty much ok." He answers.

"Wait. What about Gamzee?" Terezi asks. I look around the room and he doesn't seem to be here.

"Over there." Sollux says and points to the kitchen. We all look over there and see him sleeping on the counter. Little dorky jugalo. We all slowly fade into laughter.

"Ith it jutht me. Or do we thound like the biggetht group of traumatized dorkth in the world?" Sollux asks. "We are also the closest group of dorks!" Nepeta giggles. "I feel like we all know each other so whale now! We can't split up, ever." Feferi chimes in. "Agreed!" Terezi shouts.

"How else will we survive in this fucking mad world?" I ask. "Group hugs!" Nepeta cheers and stands up. Me and Sollux groan in protest even though we are standing up to. The girls just giggle and Eridan is silent. We have Nepeta's group hug. "What did I miss motherfuckers?" Gamzee asks, I can tell he is still half asleep. He joins the hug and we all burst out laughing for no reason.

We really are each others life support now. It's nice to be depended on. And have to one else to depend on in return. This is good for me. For all of us.


	14. Chapter 14: Awake

We are on our way back. Sitting in the car same as before, bored out of our minds while meaningless conversation goes on. The only thing that snaps me out of this stupid daze of boredom is my ringing phone. I answer of course and hear the familiar voice of Aradia's mom.

My eyes widen as she explains.

I know a few people are looking at my shock in confusion.

I hang up when she finishes. "Sollux?" Nepeta asks, tilting her head to the side.

"She'th awake. Aradia is awake." I answer. Nepeta looks shocked while Karkat on the other hand has a odd look on his face almost to say 'How-no, just don't do anything your going to regret.'

I know why he is worried. He knows how serious I was about her, he probably thinks I could dump Nepeta when I see her again. I get it.

But.. The thing is, I don't know if I will or not. Nepeta is great, she is sweet, smart, funny adorable, what else could I ask for?

But Aradia... She was my first love and always will be. She's adventurous, brave, beautiful, funny, she's a genius, and lost sometimes but that's part of her charm. And she is the most understanding person I have ever met.

She loves me back.. With Nep, I don't know if it is love, and if it isn't do I want to miss a chance to get Aradia back? But how could I break up with someone as sweet as Nep? God what am I saying? I haven't seen Aa yet, I don't know how I feel about her anymore. And what about how she feels. She may not love me anymore. Hell she could be a completely different person! She may not even remember me...

I snap out of my thoughts when Nep starts shaking my shoulders.

I look at her, letting my confusion show. She lets out a happy sigh.

"You were zoned out and wouldn't respond to us." She explains.

"Oh, thorry about that. What were you thaying?" I ask and scratch the back of my head. "It doesn't really matter. Are you ok though?" She replies.

"Yeah. I'm just, shocked. And confuthed." I answer.

"There isn't anything I can do is there?" She asks, now looking down.

"Not thith time Nep. I jutht have to work thome thingth out when I get home." I answer. Well like I said before, she is smart. She knows where this is going.

I pull her into a gentle hug. "You don't need to worry." I say softly. She hugs me back and I can feel her smile against me.

The drive back feels like forever, but ends sooner then I thought it would.

I pretended to be ok the best I could, but I don't know how well it worked.

I kiss Nep goodbye and head straight to my room.

I pull out my cell and call her while pacing around.

"Sollux?" She answers.

"Hi aa. I heard you came by." Shit what do I say?

"Yeah, I have been out for a few days and my mom finally let me out of the house. Are you home right now?" Why would she be asking anyway? Oh my god is she coming over? Why am I flipping out in the first place?!

"Well it's good that you can go out now. And uh, yeah I am." I hope I sound as calm as I think I sound.

"Ok, do you need to unpack or something? I'd like to see you, we have a lot to catch up on." I knew it! She sounds so calm and happy..

"I only brought a backpack tho no worries. Should we meet somewhere?"

"I'll just come there if that's ok with you."

"Ok, tho I'll see you thoon?" Don't make fun of me! I don't know what she's saying!

"Yup!" She hangs up. Oh my god. What will I say? We have to catch up, but I also need to tell her about Nepeta. I only think about this for a minute before realizing my room looks like a pig pen.

Then I look around the rest of the house, and start cleaning as fast as I can.

She doesn't live very far so I don't have a ton of time.

Speaking of time, I finish picking everything up right when she knocks.

When I open the door I all but freeze.

She still has wavy brown hair that goes down to her hips. I remember her shirt to, it is her favorite. A flowing red tank top with dark lace on the bottom of it.

Her long light brown skirt still has the same rips and holes on the bottom of it from her 'adventuring' that she loves. It was really just climbing on dumpsters like they were stairs onto the small shops in town. There is a long street with little shops going down both sides of it, she liked pretending she was a adventurer running from evil spies or something. Her skirt always tore but she insisted on wearing it every time. Behind the shops is a wall of old tall trees that blocked the view of a park. She doesn't know anything is back there though. She liked to drag me with her for her roof running, it was kind of fun but I really only went because it was her who asked me to come. Anyone else would get a door slammed in their face. She always got this look in her eyes when she got an ideas for something like that, it was amazing to see.

I snap out of the memories when she pulls me into a hug, her arms around my neck and mine around her waist. I take a few steps back and spin her around.

When I set her down she looks up at me and we smile at each other

"You look great! New hair cut I see." She says with that perky voice of hers. "Thankth. Thith ith actually natural. I got thick of thtyling it." I reply.

"I like it better this way... Hehehe! I missed your lisp so much, it's still adorable!" She beams. "Heh thankth... Nepeta thayth tho to." I reply. God I hope I picked the right time to say that. "Nepeta?" She asks. "She ith one of the 3 new kidth at school and she uh. She'th my girlfriend." I answer.

"Oh.. Well I hope your very happy together! You deserve it." She beams and I smile. She always was understanding like that. "What are the other kids like?" She asks and sits on the couch. I follow her over to is and sit next to her. "Feferi ith funny, she'th pretty thweet but she getth excited over every thing. Itth pretty annoying. She'th in love with fish because she grew up around them all the time. And Eridan. Most annoying, weird talking, dethperate hipthter in the world. He attacked Nepeta outthide of thchool once." I explain. "Is she ok?!" She asks. "Yeah, me and Karkat heard her yelling tho we broke it up and I beat him down a bit." I answer with a smirk. "Hehe! That sounds like you. Well, besides that they sound like a lot of fun to be around." She beams some more.

"Its a pretty interesting group. It was them, Kk, Nepeta, me, Terezi, and even Gamzee on thpring break. That'th kind of our friend circle. And it turnth out Nep has been pen palth with Gam for yearth. Tho it'th been pretty funny. She makes friendth with everybody. She even forgave Eridan." I continue. "That's really cool. I'm so glad everything has been working out for you guys! Now, what's Nepeta like?" She asks. "She'th insanely thweet. She ith in love with catth to the maximum. Utheth cat punth every chance she getth and gave us all nicknameth to go with it. She has this thpecial hat that keeps her calm when she ith thcared because she can have really bad panic attackth. She also kickth ath, when Kk and I found her and Eridan that day he wath on the ground because she kicked him like 7 feet. She loves role playing with everybody and climbing treeth. I bet you guyth could go on thome epic adventures. She drawth people and placeth all the time. And... she'th really brave. She had really bad experienceth and they were pretty deprething to hear about. But she ith alwayth happy. She'th amazing. Heh, she even caught Kk thinging and recorded it. He doethn't know about that part though." My tone is calm. It goes up and down on happy levels. I probably trailed off near the end there. "She sounds great! You will have to introduce me to everyone. Even if I already met most of them, there is some catching up to do." She replies. "Yeah. There ith thtill one more day of thpring break left, I can show you around for the rest of today and we can all meet up tomorrow." I ask. "That sounds perfect!" She beams. "Let's go then." I reply and stand up.

We head out and start walking.

I take her by all of the places we used to go to, the street with little shops everywhere. With these trees here and the shops she loves, I bet her and Nepeta will hang out here to role play.

She points out the places she remembers, and the things different about them.

Eventually we go everywhere she knew. Afterwards I walk her home.

"Thanks for all this." She says. "No problem." I reply.

"It's good to see you again." She says and pulls me into a hug.

I've missed her so much.. Every day. When our grip on each other loosens she stares up at me.

She stands on her toes and our lips meet.

My arms lock up in a half bend position, my eyes are wide open, and her hands are resting on my neck and shoulders.

It is a familiar feeling, a wonderful feeling. But reality catches up and I push her back.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry!" She covers her mouth.

I am still in shock so I don't say anything. "It was just so good to see you again, and.. Ohh! Please don't let this ruin things with Nepeta! I'm really sorry." She rambles. "It'th uh... It'th ok.. I won't tell if you won't." I reply. That's all I can think to say. I'm even more confused now then I was before. I've missed her.. So much... She apologizes again and heads inside. When the door closes I turn around and start walking back home. What does this mean?

The feeling that shot through me hasn't happened since the accident.

But I got close with Nep. I think.

I don't want to hurt either of them. And what kind of a person would hurt Nepeta? I don't know what even I feel anymore.

It's confusing. Very very confusing.

By the time I get home I am racking my brain to try and fine every good and bad side to each of them. But it all comes down to Aradia. It always has and it always will. But how the hell do I end things with Nep? I guess I just have to figure it out later, for now I need to set up a meet up for tomorrow.

I just hope it goes well.


	15. Chapter 15: Aradia view

I can't believe I did that. He has a girlfriend and I kissed him.

Was it force of habit? I'm sure not for him but for me it was. I just missed him so much! And he looked even better then before. And... I love him.

I still do. I will never stop. But to rip him away from someone else, that's something I just couldn't do. I'm going to meet her in an hour.

How do I look her in the eye? Maybe they aren't even a good match, maybe she doesn't feel the same for him. Then I would be saving him, right?

I just have to wait. Just have to wait.

Time moves fast, and soon there is a knock on the door.

I spring up and trot over. "Hey, ready to go?" Sollux asks.

I nod and grab my bag from inside. We walk a little ways until we reach a park hidden by trees, I didn't know this was back here. The trees act like a wall in between it and the street with all those little shops I liked to climb on.

We walk up to the blanket where everyone else is siting. Terezi runs up and hugs me, when she releases me Gamzee and Karkat are standing in front of us and are waiting for a hello. Gamzee just pulls me into a brief hug.

"I missed you guys!" I beam. "It's great to see you again! Oh! And this is Feferi and Eridan." Terezi explains. "Nice to meet you both, I've heard about you from Sollux." I greet them both with a smile and they return it.

"Pawlux!" I hear a cute little voice from behind us. She runs up and tackles him to the ground. She must be strong. "Shit Nep!" He shouts when they hit the ground. "Hehe! Sorry, but you should be used to it by now." She laughs.

That breaks the unhappy relationship theory.

She kisses his nose and climbs off. She turns to me and a tiny hint of blush raises to her cheeks. "I'm sorry, you must be Aradia. I'm Nepeta!" She beams.

I holdout a hand and we shake. "It's nice to meet you Nepeta!" I reply.

"I heard some great things about you. I also heard you like to climb trees." I continue. "I love to climb! I also know parkuar so the streets are great practice." She beams. "Perfect! Wanna do something fun?!" I'm excited! Just if you couldn't tell. "Yes! Do you role play?" She asks.

"Sure! No one asked me before but I would love to! Come with me!" I say and grab her wrist. I pull her to the start of the trees and shops.

"Here is the scenario, we are running through France because evil spies are chasing us." I beam.

"Got it! Can they be government spies chasing us because I am a half cat girl and you are helping me?" She asks.

"Yeah! That's perfect!" I answer. "Ok! Wait! We need to be chased... I have an idea, be right back." She says and runs off, I see her through the trees running to Karkat. I don't know what she says but whatever it is it got him piiiiiiissed! That and her pushing him, almost knocking him over.

They race over here and before she gets to me she yells, "Run run run!"

We both take off on the shops with him following us close behind. We jump from roof to roof until we reach an end on this line and pause.

We look at each other and jump off, she lands into a smooth roll and continues running while I land harshly and continue, I am now a little bit behind her.

He starts catching up and I start speeding up. This feels so much more real! I love it! I speed past Nepeta but keep running. I think we lost him, I know that she won't be far behind, she is fast.

But then there is a crash and a scream. I stop in my tracks and turn around.

She is laying face down, he is on top of her, and they are both crushed by a small billboard that was set up. It was wood and not super tall but it's still very heavy. I almost run over but they are already getting up.

He pushes off the ground and she does to. However I don't think she knew he was there because when she reaches her arms extent she freezes, now knowing that she just pushed herself against him.

If I remember correctly Sollux said she can have panic attacks without the hat, so I guess this was a close one because it almost got knocked off her head. But it's still there so everything is fine.

He turns to the side to try and rock the wooden sign off of them but it doesn't budge.

"Need some help?" I ask and start walking over. "No. Just a sec." He answers and I stop in my tracks.

If they don't want help I see no need to give it to them. It would be kind of a waste of time and if he is the same as I remember then he would just be mad at me.

"Are you guyth ok?" Sollux asks, I guess he came to see what the problem was. Terezi too.

He looks bothered. Really bothered by the sight in front of us all. I guess the position that Karkat and Nepeta are in is pretty weird when you think about it. "We're fine. Just kind of stuck at the moment. Just give me a second to get up." Karkat answers. Sollux has his hands in fists and Terezi doesn't seem to be looking in the right direction. I guess she isn't interested in the situation.

"I smell blush. Is that yours Karkles?" She teases. Wait. Smell?

"Shut the fuck up. How do you know it's not someone else?" He replies, putting the getting up process at a pause when he looks over his shoulder at her. "Because your blush is special. It's extra bright. Everyone else's is normal, but you are very bright colored." She answers.

"You can't even see colors nitwit." He replies. "But the brighter it is the stronger the smell is." She answers. What is going on here? Is she color blind? How did that happen?

I'm so confused! "Uh, can we move this along now." Nepeta asks, still glued to Karkat and staring at the ground in front of her. "Oh. Right." Karkat answers. "Hehehe. Nepeta. Your blushing as well. And Karkat don't start blabbing again, I know it's her because it is in the same spot as you but not as bright." Terezi teases. I squat down to get a look at her face. She is blushing. Her lips are pursed together and she makes a panicked "mmmm" sound as if she is at a stand still.

"Let yourself fall Nep." Karkat says kind of quietly. "Huh?!" She turns her head to the side to try and look at him. "Oh my god your all so ridiculous and stupid. I meant to the ground. It's hard to move with you up against me like this." He replies. Terezi gets a know it all grin and I giggle.

Sollux on the other hand is getting even more irritated as everything goes on.

Nepeta blushes more and does what Karkat said. From there he kicks the wood from the other side and pushes it farther onto his back and then elbows it and turns to the side again. With that it finally falls off. He stands up and gives her a hand up. She takes it of coarse but her blush doesn't fade.

Avoiding eye contact, she tucks some hair behind her ear. Sollux has folded his arms and now pushes his glasses farther up his nose. The sun glares off of them, probably what he meant to have happen just in case someone can see through the bright colors. Not that anyone really can.

But I guess he has a right to worry. I'm gonna have to ask him about how Nepeta and Karkat act around each other if he is this worried about it. And it doesn't help that their hands lingered for a little too long if you ask me. "Can we get back to the park now?" Karkat asks with his angry tone back. We all walk back, cutting through the trees to make it go faster.

"So Terezi. What happened to your eyes anyway?" I ask. "Oh yeah. You got stuck in the hospital before it happened." She replies right before we sit down back with everybody else.

"Well. I was larping with Vriska and Tavros at this place she found right outside of town, it was this tiny neighborhood but all the houses were lame and empty. But cool in that creepy way. We were in this one house on the second floor and she told us to wait on the other side of the room while she set something up. I didn't know what it was at the time but she was pulling it out of her bag.

There was some really loud noises from downstairs and the ground shook. Then Tavros fell through the floor but I moved. Another bang happened and she screamed in pain. Then another went off and the fire hit my eyes. It turns out she put dynamite in the building but they went off early. The one that made her scream was the one she was setting up and it blew in her hand. She lost an arm and her eye is jacked up. The fire from that hit me ruined my eyes. And Tavros had some weird and horrible landing so he is paralyzed from the hips down now." She explains. I cover my mouth and my eyes widen as she explains. "That's horrible!" I exclaim. "Year. But I have some cool burns around my eyes now!" She jokes and takes off her glasses. There are small burns around her eyes like she said. I guess if you like scares they are cool. No gross textures and she can open her eyes still, although they have lots of red in them. I guess that's why she chose red glasses.

"We haven't seen each other since then. It's been a really really long time." She continues.

"Wait a mother sec. You mean Tavbro?" Gamzee asks. "You know him?" I ask.

"Yeah! He is on his way here!" He beams. "What?!" Terezi shouts. "Well this is a friendship meet up ain't it? I gotta have my friends meet Tavbro!" He replies. Well ok then.

"What do we do now?" Nepeta asks. Clearly back to normal by now. "I know!" Gamzee beams.

We wait for him to say something. "Tiiiiickle party!" He shouts and launches at Terezi.

She starts cackling and kicking and I laugh at them. Nepeta is smiling and decides to go with it I guess because she pounces on Sollux. "No no no! Don't include me in thith shit!" He yells, doesn't seem very strong because he is laughing his head off. Karkat and I sit there awkwardly. I know better then to try it with him. Feferi is killing Eridan with her crazy tickle skills while he flails around. Eventually Sollux pushes Nepeta off of him and she her head lands on Karkat's leg. She smiles an evil grin and rolls over her shoulder to straddle Karkat.

"Switch!" She shouts. Terezi jumps onto Eridan and Gamzee hops on Feferi. I glance at Sollux with a slightly confused look and he walks over to me on his knees. He sits next to me and we watch the crazy people around us. "I'm thurprithed Aa. Normally you be all over thith kind of thtuff." He says.

"I guess I'm not really into it today." I reply. He looks at me like I just offended him. Before I can ask what's wrong Karkat starts yelling. "Enough! Fucking enough already!" He is such a party pooper.

"No! Your not smiling enough!" She yells back. I see she learned how to cope with him.

"I don't smile!" He yells and tries to sit up. She pauses and glares at him.

"I will get you to smile if it is the _last_ thing I do." She growls. Sollux and I silently watch them as she goes crazy. It doesn't work of coarse and she pauses again. "What does it take to get you to look happy?!" She shouts. He pauses to think. "His pain. Maybe." He answers and looks over at Eridan.

"That can be arranged." She hums and climbs off of him. She walks over to Eridan and Terezi, taps her shoulder to tell her to get off, which she does. And then he sits up and she gently puts a hand on the back of his neck. Ok this is kind of funny. Mostly the look on Karkat's face right now while he props himself up with his arms. "Wwhat are you doin Nep?" Eridan asks. Oh, he does have a weird accent. I wonder where he got it. Her arm strains, he jumps and yelps in pain. "Wwhat the fuck Nep?!" He yells, he is sitting up now but her hand is still attached to him.

When she removes it he jumps again and looks back at us. "Did it work?" She asks. I look closely at her hand. There is blood on her sharp nail tips. She really went all out there huh?

Then again that might have been going light. Oh well. "Depends if you are ok with a smirk and chuckle." I answer her. "No! That's not what I want at all!" She shouts and her little fists set in front of her chest. Huh, she is just like a anime character. "I told you I don't smile." He replies and folds his arms. "You have to at some point!" She shouts and walks over on her knees.

"Sollux! You have known him fur a long time right?" She asks, her determined face is inches away from him. "Yeeeeah." He answers. "What makes him smile?!" She asks, their noses touching now.

"I don't know. He never thmileth around me." He answers kind of awkwardly. Well that's a lie. At least he is trying to help out Karkat.

She backs off and thinks for a moment. Then looks back at Karkat. "What else could make you happy?" She asks. "Try again later. I don't enjoy anything enough to make me smile. Deal with it." He replies. She folds her arms and pouts. "There there Nep." Sollux teases and hugs her.

After just a few seconds of sitting there she smiles and hugs him back. "Your adorable." He chuckles. "Not as adorable as your lisp. Say something with an s in it." She replies.  
"Mithithippi." He says. "Purrfect." She giggles, giving the Rs and extra roll.  
He smiles with his chin on top of her head. I hear a car door and some clicking but they don't seem to notice. It's so calm right now, even the tickle fight has died down.  
Gamzee springs to his feet and races down the hill we're on to the car.  
Nepeta and Sollux end their hug and shift so she is next to him, but in front of him at the same time if that makes sense. I guess at an angle in front of him. His arms are wrapped around her and they both have gentle smiles. It is at this point that Gamzee returns with Tavros in a week chair.

"Tavros!" I beam and race over. "Hi Aradia. I didn't know you were out of the hospital yet. Its uh, good to see you again." He says. He looks and sounds the same as always.

Light brown mohawk, orange t-shirt, and open gray button up shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows. "Terezi told me what happened. I'm so glad your ok!" I beam and hug him. "Uh yeah. I guess everyone has recovered now huh?" He replies. "Yeah!" I giggle and tuck some hair behind my ear. "Have you already met these guys?" I ask and gesture to Feferi and Eridan.  
"Uh I don't think so.." he answers. I would introduce him but Gamzee beats me to it. "They moved her recently. That's Erbro and Fefysis." He explains. "Nice to meet you guys." Tavros says. "Its reel nice to meet you to!" Feferi beams. Eridan shrugs. "Oh, and that's Sol's special new gal Nep. The penny pal or whatever I told you about." Gamzee continues. Nepeta just smiles at him and before Tavros can say hi Gamzee introduces him to everyone. "This is Tavbro, my cuddly mother fucker." At that we all stare. I didn't know.. Is he saying what I think he is? "Your dating?!" Nepeta squeals. "That's right." He answers and bends over the wheel chair to kiss Tavros. "Squee! This is going on my shipping wall fur sure!" She beams. "Shipping wall?" I ask. "Oh yeah! I didn't tell you! I am a master shipper! Everyone I know is on it and I circle the ones that are canon." She explains.

"Oh. That's interesting." I reply. That's pretty weird.. But I guess it's a good way to remember who broke up and who are together. So it is a pretty good idea but I don't think that is her intention.

"Well I'm just tickled as mother fucking punch we get to join the wall." Gamzee smirks and sits down. Most people would say that to make fun of her but I think he meant it.

"You should be! Aradia-Oh, a side note. Sorry I haven't given you a nickname yet but I don't know how to add a cat pun to your name... Let me see who I have actually.. Pawllux, Fefurry, Furrezi, Ampurra, Karkitty.. Oh my gosh! I'm missing Gamzee and Tavros now to!" She exclaims.

"I thought you had one more name, that old friend of yours?" Karkat asks.

She ponders for a moment then her eyes widen and she puts her hands on the sides of her head.

"I furrgot Equihiss! How could I furrget my meowrail like that!? I'm the worst furriend evfur! What do I do?! I haven't talked to him moar then once since I moved here oh no!" She shouts.

"Calm down Nep. Jutht text him or thomething." Sollux says.

"Oh your right!" She shouts and starts flailing around to get her phone out her pocket.

Which makes her and Sollux fall backwards. She gets it out and sits back up, leaving him behind her.

He sits up as well but much slower since he has no need to rush. Her thumbs are flying across the little keyboard at lightning speed. I don't think I've ever seen someone type that fast on a phone.

"Your a fast typer." I say in aw. "Yes! This is impurrtant!" She replies, not taking her eyes off of the screen or slowing down at all. She lets out a sigh and falls back against Sollux, I guess she sent the message. "Oh! I just remembered somefin!" Feferi exclaims and turns to her bag behind her.

I hope it's something entertaining because we have reached an end of conversation topics at the moment. "I brought some snacks!" She beams.

It's been a pretty fun day so far and it's picking up again. We all laugh, eat, laugh some more, Eridan almost choked from doing both at the same time. And we split up once the sun began to set.

It's good to be awake again...


	16. Chapter 16: Vriska

"Nooooo!" I whine.

"Come on, it wont hurt." Sollux replies.

"How do you know that?! When was the last time you were on the other side?" I ask.

"Just try it." He replies.

"Fine..." I sigh and lean over the balcony, water balloon in hand.

"Noooow drop it!" He says and drops one at the same time as me.

"Bullseye!" He exclaims. "Are you sure it wont hurt them? This is a long drop." I ask.

"It'th fine, I uthed to do thith all the time." He answers.

We are standing on the balcony of Vriska's apartment. He doesn't know where we are yet though.

I met her after school a few days ago and she invited us over, she will be home any minute.

But she had a boat load of water balloons lying around so he grabbed a few.

"Now that I have introduced you to thith, are you ever gonna tell me who'th houthe we are at?" He asks and leans on the railing. "Nope! She is- Here!" I reply and race to the door to greet her.

She enters the house with her keys in one hand and a plastic sack of groceries in the other.

She sets them on the counter of her small kitchen and turns back to me, revealing a black leather jacket, a deep blue tank, and dark skinny jeans. All paired together with her bright red high tops

"Welcome home!" I beam and hug her. "Hey Neppy!" He replies and hugs me back.

Our hug breaks and Sollux walks in the room. They both freeze with their shocked stares locked on each other. "_This_ is your boyfriend?" She asks. "_She_ ith your friend?!" He asks as well.

"You know each other?" I ask them both, my gaze switching between the 2 of them.

"Thith thpider bitch ith the one that blinded Terezi, put Tavroth in a wheel chair, and cauthed Aradia to go into a coma!" He shouts. "What?" I ask and stare at her. "I tried to apologize! No one would listen to me! They still don't.." she replies. "I didn't reeeeeeeeally mean to hurt Terezi or Tavros. But you can't blame me for Aradia, she pissed me way off and I didn't think she would get hurt that bad." She continues. "So you meant to hurt her?" I ask. "Well, sort of. I mostly just wanted to scare her and get her to listen to me about my luck. I said I cursed her and I wanted to deliver." She answers and folds her arms. It makes sense, and I feel bad for her. But those are some terrible things.

"I would have told you but I wanted a friend that saw the good in me instead of focusing on my mistakes." She says and grabs my hands. "Can't you be that friend?" She asks.

"I guess. But you only get one chance." I answer. "Your kidding me right now? You have to be kidding. No fucking way are you two gonna be friends after how much she wrecked our lives!" Sollux yells. "Sollux hold on!" I say and let go of Vriska's hands. "I understand she hurt people, but don't you think everyone deserves a chance to fix things? You got to fix things with Aradia, can't Vwiskers fix things to?" I ask. "In what way did I meth thingth up with Aa?" He asks. "You said you blamed yourself for it. Well clearly you two are ok now. That's called fixing things." I answer and step closer to him. He looks away and folds his arms. "Fine. But if she blowth it there will be second chanceth. You and I both thtop talking to her." He replies and looks down at me. I look back at her, then back at him. "Ok." I answer. I stand on my toes and do a small hop to kiss him.

"Now, let's have some fun!" I say and trot back out to the balcony. They follow and we all grab water balloons. "Lets make some rain bitches!" Vriska beams and drops 2. Then Sollux, then me.

We continue to drop bombs on innocent people and laugh our heads off until it get's dark.

"Oh my gosh! I have to go." I say and stand up, sadly breaking the laughter.

"Aw, are you sure?" She asks. "Yeah, I have to get back to Meulin, she is having a hard time with the guy she likes." I answer. "And your going to help how?" She asks with condescension in her voice.

"By listening. Everyone needs to talk about their purroblems at some point. She and I tell each other everything anyway and when it comes to romance we are practically expurrts!" I answer.

"Oh right, that shipping thing you do." She replies. "I'll walk you home." Sollux says and stands up.

"Thanks fur having us over Vwiskers!" I say as we walk to the door. "No prob, come by anytime." She replies. Sollux and I proceed to walk back to my house before splitting paths.

"Thanks fur giving her a chance." I say before we part ways. "Yeah. But I'm theriouth, if she can't clean up her act then I don't want you around her. I don't know what I would do if she hurt you." He replies, staring at the cold concrete. "Don't worry. Besides, I can handle myself." I reply and grab his hands. "But think about it. She could dethtroy the hat or thomething and thend you into a full on metal break down. Or get you in an accident like everyone elthe." He explains, refusing to grab my hands back. "Please don't worry. She has been really nice to me and I haven't seen her do anything mean yet." I reply. "Fine.. Jutht tell me how thingth go. I'd rather keep thome dithtance tho you have to tell me what happenth." He says and finally holds my hands. "Ok!" I reply and let go of his hands to move them around his stomach instead. I like hugs, sweet hugs like this are the best.

He tucks some hair behind my ear for me and lets his hand linger there as he gently pulls me into a kiss. I have gotten used to his kisses, their frequency, the static that comes from them, the warmth of his breath. I love it. It's sweet, simple, but wonderful. "Nepeta! Get in here! This is important!" Meulin shouts from the doorway. I didn't even notice her open the door!

"Hi Sollux!" She shouts more. We break our embrace and wave goodbye awkwardly.

I skip up to the door and follow her to the living room. "So what happened?" I ask and flop down on the couch. She lands next to me and lets out a quick sigh then takes in a deep breath to get ready for the long explanation that is about to pour out of her mouth. "Ok, so he asked me to hang out tomorrow without studying this time. But fur one thing I don't know if it's a date or not. And fur another if I assume it is I could creep him out and ruin everything, but if I assume it isn't I could hurt him. You know I can't just ask if it is or isn't so don't bother. But how do I figure this out?! My head was spinning so much when he asked me I barley noticed where we are going. But he texted me the details to make it easier to remember beclaws he already knows I'm not good with times and things. And if it is a date I need you to help me look purrfect fur it, but if it isn't I have to look absolutely stunning so he will want it to be one." He rants. "I see your dilemma. I will definitely help with your outfit, but fur now show me the text so I can decide what it is supposed to be." I reply. This is the sort of thing that carries on through out the night. Until about 1 AM. We could have gone until 2 or 3 if it was a weekend but we both have school tomorrow.

== Be Meulin!

I race down the sidewalk in attempt to get to class on time like always. I know Nepeta can walk herself to school just fine but I always feel bad when she does since that incident.

I make it to my seat with just a minute to spare. Maybe two.

I rush to get my notebook out of my bag, considering how many I have in there it can be pretty hard.

I finally get it out, but at the price of all the others falling to the floor.

A odd looking boy kneels down to grab the books for me. I don't think I have seen him before. I mean, he looks familiar but I sure haven't talked to him. If I'm right he has always been sitting next to me but he is very quiet. I don't think I have ever heard him say a word, he merely acknowledged me when I tried to introduce myself on the first day. I always ended up talking with Latula instead because she is on the other side of me. She is funny.

He hands me the stack of books and paper as he stands up. He is cool.. He is wearing a completely black outfit, black T-shirt, black jacket, black jeans, the only color are the purple shoes and wrist cuffs.

But I guess everyone has their own style, I mean, look at me. I have a black school skirt and green sweater with a white cat on it. I'm as weird as it gets. I can't help but notice his mildly chiseled features, not superman chiseled, but more then the average person. It makes the black clothe look really good.

I take the books and smile. "Thanks." I beam. He nods and silently sits back in his seat.

"You know as nice as helping me is it is countered by the rudeness of not saying anything." I say as I put the books in my bag. He just looks at me like I was the one being rude. I stop and stare at him.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask. He opens his mouth but the bell rings, shutting him up.

I lean back in my chair and fold my arms. There goes my chance to get him to talk..

Once class ends I grab his wrist to keep him from moving. Causing him to lean away and look very very confused. "You were going to say something befurr, what was it?" I ask.

His mouth opens again but no sound comes out. He makes a hand gesture that looks like someone trying to say vomit. I tilt my head to the side in confusion, he rolls his eyes.

I keep looking at him inattentively. He raises his hand and starts doing, something? What even in that?

It's moving to fast! Is he being obscene? It doesn't look like it. His fingers are moving fast enough I can't really see what he is doing. "Stop stop stop. I can't even see what you are doing, slow down with it." I say. He does as I ask so I can see what he is doing.

".. I don't know what that is." I say, he rips his hand out of mine.

I watch him leave before I get my stuff gathered together. Whats his deal?

After school I'm planning on going out to eat with Latula, her boyfriend Mituna, and Porrim.

But as we walk out I see the weird guy again. "Hang on, what's the deal with him?" I ask.

"Oh that's Kurloz. He's pretty close with Tuna." Latula replies.

"I tried talking to him but he wouldn't say anything and he started doing this weird thing with his hand." I answer. She stops and almost starts cracking up. "Mew, hes mute. That was sign language." She explains. "Oh my gosh! I bet I offended him! Shhhhoot!" I reply. I look back at him, I bet if I run I can catch him. "Be right back." I say and take off sprinting.

"Hey you!" I yell. He keeps walking, probably doesn't know who I'm yelling at. But he is getting away! "Oh no you don't!" I yell and crank it up to high speed. I've always been a fast runner.

"Heeeeeey!" I shout and pounce, landing on his back as if I was getting a piggy back ride.

But I guess it wasn't the best idea because he had no idea it was coming and therefore falls to the cement. He takes the fall, whacking his face on the ground. "Whoops! Sorry about that." I say as I sit back. "I wanted to ask you something! And apologize fur earlier. My furriend over there just told me what that hand thingy was, so I'm sorry if I was rude about it." I continue. He reaches back his left hand and taps my leg. "Oh right!" I say and hop off of him. When he stands up he turns to me while checking his nose for blood. "Don't worry your not bleeding. But you might get a bruise on your forehead or something." I say. "And I also wanted to ask you, would you like to join me and some friends fur dinner?" I ask and point to Latula and Mituna, Porrim is meeting us there.

He nods. "Yay!" I squeal and grab his wrist. "Latula! Guess what!" I shout as I start dragging him over to them. He forces me to a stop and I turn back to him. "What is it?" I ask.

He points to my knees. I look down to see that they both are lightly bleeding... Oh, right. They hit the ground when we landed. I got so used to ignoring things like that when climbing trees I didn't notice!

"Oh, ouch. Don't worry about that! I'll clean them up when we get there." I say and start dragging him again. I'm surprised it is this easy to drag him, he is waaay taller then me. But I guess it helps that he isn't fighting it. "Mew, your bleeding again." Latula says with one hand on her hip and her skateboard in the other. "Do I evfur care about that?" I ask. "No. But doesn't it hurt? Do we need to get you some kind of helmet like Tuna?" She jokes. "No! I understand he likes it but it would look absolutely ridiculous on me!" I shout. "Uh, Tulip. I'm pretty thure we're gonna be late." Mituna cuts in. He's a cutie, kind of confusing with his mood swings but a cutie none the less. His hair is my favorite part, it's very straight and covers his eyes, but then there are some very curly piece through out it. Adorable. I still wonder what the Captor family loves about the color yellow though.

He always has his yellow helmet, yellow shoes, and his shirt has thick yellow and black stripes. If you add the black jeans to it then he might as well have a sign on his head that says 'I love bees'. But you know what, I think all of my friends dress funny. Him, me, this guy I don't remember the name of.. Porrim always wears a black and green dress, it's not a fancy dress or anything but not many people will wear a dress every day. But I guess she isn't bothered by the cold. What's funny is she has a little sister Nepeta's age but she lives with their parents in New York

Then there is Latula who likes to wear leggings every day underneath her short teal dress. And then red gloves and shoes. So random.

"Oh right! Let's get going. Is he coming?" She replies. "Yup!" I answer.

"Well since our little dinner group is going should we go ahead and invite the others?" She asks.

"Sure." I shrug.

We get to the restaurant late just like Mituna thought we would but at least we don't have to wait for anyone. "Where the hell have you been?" Meenah asks. Now she is just as weird looking as the rest of us for sure. It's almost always cold here but she insists on wearing a black crop top and baggy black pants. A lot of black in our outfits huh? And then her hair doesn't make it any less weird but I envy that she looks so cool in braids. Especially ones that are so long. But her glasses are just weird.

At least the pink color matches her bracelets.

"Sorry about that, but I had to get this guy to come." I say and pull him farther in the room by his forearm. "Ok, and who the fuck is he?" She asks. "Uhhh." I still don't know his name!

I look at him, hoping he will answer the question. He signs his name but I don't think any of us know what he is saying. "You are gonna have to teach me how to sign so I can understand what your trying to say. Fur now could you write it down?" I reply. He nods. "Woah woah woah, is he deaf?" Meenah asks. "That's rude! And no. Hes mute." I answer. "Great, just one more freak for our little groups of fucking weirdos." She folds her arms. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cat bed this morning." I reply. "No, unlike you I don't have a weird glubbin obsession with an animal." She snaps.

"Says the girl who just said glubbin. When was the last time you went without using a fishy pun?" I reply. "Ok why don't we break this up and sit down." Latula chimes in. "Good idea." I reply.

We all gather up at a round booth in the back. I made sure to sit next to the nameless guy.

The night goes well, lots of jokes, tons of laughter. Even he looks like he is enjoying himself, although it can be kind of hard to tell because normally you would know by someone's laughter but he just smiles. Its really cool! Hes like mysterious stranger that I get to learn about. I don't think anyone else would really care to learn sign language unless he becomes a part of our normal friend circle.

But if I have any say in the matter, he will.

Once we are outside and saying our goodbyes I make sure to give him a piece of paper.

"Write your name real quick." I say and hand him a pen as well. He hands it back to me when he finishes writing and it reads "Kurloz" And then a phone number. Squee!

I smile up at him and he smiles back, "I'll see you at school!" I beam.

He is nice! To my knowledge. I guess I can't know for sure until I start texting him but I have a good feeling.


	17. Chapter 17: Take him boarding

I close the book I just finished and set it on the shelf in my room.

I'm running out of things to do at home. I understand Karkat's concern but I really don't think staying home is the proper solution. It might have been better for me to show up the next day after getting hurt, someone would ask about the wounds and then attention would be brought to it. That's the proper way to stop something. But I suppose they could have injured me further if they got mad at me for getting them in trouble. But staying home makes me feel like a coward. I'm already healed so it seems pointless to be hiding here. And if I miss to many days I wont be able to continue on. I would hate to be held back. But I suppose Karkat will see this soon enough.

I lay on my bed as I ponder my situation. However I am interrupted by my phone ringing.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hey Kankri!"

"Latula?" I'm surprised she would call, I wonder why..

"Yeah! We have been thinking, it's been a while since you have been at school. Is everything ok? I know you said you were sick but who is sick enough to stay home for more then a week." Oh no.

What do I say? I always just talked to keep questions away but how to do I find something to rant about now?  
"Well, of coarse things are fine I just um.. I had a bit of a heart to heart with Karkat so as a reaction to his new understanding of my ways he has been rather protective." I explain.

"Uh, what? You know what, never mind. But you got to get out of that house! I'm going to be boarding soon, wanna come?"

"Well I suppose I could. But you do realize I have no idea how to, so you say, board, don't you?"

"Duh! I'm gonna teach you! Meet me at the park, it will be fun!" She hangs up.

I don't think this will end very well for me. But I did tell her I would go didn't I?

I slide on my shoes and head out. It's a good thing Karkat is not home. I would have to explain and risk getting into an argument. What's interesting is I didn't think he would be so protective. I know everyone has their soft side but his seems to apply to me quite a lot.

I walk up the concrete path of the park to find Latula by herself at the top of a hill.

"Hello." I greet her. "Hey Kani!" She beams. "I thought Mituna would be with you." I say.

"Nah, he has to work today. Now, hop on the board!" She replies and sets her skateboard on the ground. I do as she says and set a foot on the wobbly thing. "Latula is this safe?" I ask.

"Sure it is!" She answers. I bring my other foot onto it as well and it wobbles more.

"Latula I'm going to fall." I say and almost loose my balance. "You'll do fine! I promise!" She replies and grabs my hands to keep me from falling. A jolt rushes up my arms at the contact.

"Uh I would much rather keep from face planting. I don't believe the concrete would be very friendly." I say. "Here, this will protect that pretty little noggin of yours." She replies and puts her helmet on me.

She lets go of my hands and sets aside. "Wait, why are we on a hill? Wouldn't it be safer to start on a flat surface?" I ask. "Maybe, but then it would be harder to get you going." She answers.

"Wait what-" I get cut off by her pushing me. I begin gaining much speed at an alarming rate.

Naturally I scream the entire time. It seems to be a smooth ride, except for the fact she didn't tell me how to turn. The path makes a smooth turn without me as I hit the dense grass and go flying off of the skateboard. I push off of the ground as she kneels down beside me.

"You ok Kan?" She asks. "Yes." I say. Ignoring the sharp pain in my side. It seems the rib has yet to finish healing. I suppose risking landing on it wasn't a good idea.

"Are you sure? Your left arm just shook." She asks. "I understand you mean well but I would appreciate it if you would check your privileges and let me keep my private business private." I reply.

"Uuuh. Ok. But wouldn't you normally go on some privilege rant right now?" She asks.

I stand up and she follows. "Really, I'm fine. Would it be to much to ask that we drop the subject and move on?" I reply. "Ok. If you really don't want to tell me." She sighs. I feel bad for not telling her.. Maybe I should.. No. Karkat would never forgive me, and I don't want someone as head strong as her to go looking for them. It would kill me if she got hurt.

I smile at her and she returns the pleasant gesture. Although her facial expression doesn't seem very sure, I can't really say mine looks any more or less real though.

There is a small jingling melody in the distance and getting closer. "Is that an ice cream truck? AAW YES!" She shouts and hops on the skateboard, then looks at me. "Come on!" She says and gestures for me to get on next to her. "Uuuh." Is all I can reply. "Hurry up!" She says and steps off.

She picks me up and hops back on the board, then starts riding. "Latula this is not necessary!" I shout as we pick up speed. "Yes it is! Do you know how rare ice cream trucks are now?!" She replies.

We go down a small incline to pick up extra speed, but then comes the scoop back up where we fly through the air briefly At this time I cling my arms around her neck and hang on for dear life while screaming. Her only reaction is loud laughter. "Put me down put me down put me down put me down put, me, doooown!" I scream, only making her laugh more. We finally get to the truck and skit to a halt She roughly sets me back down and races to the window on the side of it. I wobble around like I just got off of a roller coaster made up of loops alone. "Never make me do that again!" I shout when I finally stumble over to her. "Oh my gosh Kankri your hilarious! Here, I got this for you." She replies and hands me an ice cream cone. "Thank you." I say with a confused tone and accept the frozen delight.

We sit down in the grass to eat. "Your not to bad at boarding you know. Practice a bit and you could be a pro." She says. "Really? I don't think that it's really in my list of talents." I reply.

"Haha. What is then?" She asks. "I have the best vocabulary of anyone I know." I answer.

"Haha! You do. I bet you could break a record for longest time without taking a breath while talking." She replies. "Hm. I'm also the only one who can get Karkat to talk about his problems." I continue.

"Really? I didn't think you guys were very close." She asks. "Yes, most people assume that because we don't get along we don't have a relationship. But as he does wear his anger out in the open, there are more private matters he does not let on about." I answer. "That's really cool. Not many siblings can tell each other things like that. It's cool he can talk to you. Especially since no one else can get a word in around you." She says. I let my vision loose focus as I stare at the grass in front of me.

"Hm. I suppose that's true. Actually it's not until recently the listening went both ways." I reply.

"Right, you guys had a heart to heart. Was that the only time you told him anything?" She asks.

"... Yes.." I answer. "Why only then? You could talk to any of us about things that worry you. Why haven't you?" She asks. "He has plenty to worry about. There are some deep rooted things in his head and.." I begin and pause to look at her, now seeing she has been watching me this whole time.

"What kind of a brother would I be if I let him worry?" I finish. The look on her face is meaningful, like she just saw something amazing. The thought of her next question worries me, so I look at the sky and keep talking. "And frankly, in no offense to you, when was the last time someone wanted to hear what was on my mind?" I continue. I see her looking at the ground in guilt out of the corner of my eye. "I don't really mind though. It's just how I live. It's not like I'm always ignored or anything." I say, trying to keep awkward silence from taking over.

"...It seems this conversation is going deeper then I would like it to. Shall we move on?" I finish.

I start to stand up but she grabs my sleeve. "I'm sorry." She says and hugs me.

I feel bad for telling her all of this and making her worry. She has done nothing wrong, it really is my fault. I make them ignore what I am saying to avoid unwanted topics and questions.

But if I tell her that it will go into an even more dramatic conversation.

I gently place a hand on her shoulder to try and make her feel better. I know it's selfish, I think I'm glad this happened. She is a very special girl and the warmth of her hug spreads joy though me.

I hope we can get to such a point where this sort of moment isn't exclusive to guilt.

She breaks the hug and looks at my shirt. "Hahaha! Woops!" She laughs. I look down, we both still had ice cream in our hands. "Well that might stain." I reply. "Haha, sorry bout that. I can get it out for you." She says and we both stand up. "Do you have cleaning supplies at your place?" She asks.

"Of course." I answer. "Let's go then." She says and steps onto the skateboard once again.

"Get on." She says. This time I do as she says and step on behind her.

After a seemingly long and for me, terrifying, ride we come to a stop in front of my and Karkat's home.

"Karkat I'm home." I shout as we enter. "K!" He yells from his room.

"The cleaning supplies is back here." I say and lead her to the laundry room.

"K, take it off then." She orders while mixing some stain removers and detergents together in a cup. "I'd rather not." I reply. "Why not? Don't you have any other shirts?" She asks.

"Of course. But I normally just wash this during to night so I don't know how well the others will fit me." I answer. "Oh. Why don't you borrow one of Karkat's? Your about the same size right?" She asks. "Possibly. I'll be back." I reply and head up stairs to Karkat's room.

"Karkat I need a favor from you." I say as I enter his room.

"What is i-what the fuck happened to your shirt?" He asks. "Long story. I need to borrow a shirt if you have one that might fit." I reply. "Sure I guess." He answers and gets off of his bed, which he was lounging on, and goes to the closet. "Here." He says and hands over a gray long sleeved shirt.

"Thank you." I reply and leave to room. I change shirts as I walk down the stairs.

"Here you go." I say and hand Latula the red sweater. "Ok-pfft.. Maybe you guys are different sizes." She replies with a snicker. I look at her with confusion on my face. "Go find a mirror or something." She says and turns back to the mixture she made.

I go to my room and look in the mirror. Looks like we are different. The shirt is skin tight on me.

I don't particularly pay attention to any muscles I do or don't have but to my knowledge I look better then normal. I turn around to leave the room but freeze when I see Latula standing in the doorway.

"Uh, hello." I say and blush slightly. "So this is your room? You could use some more color in here, it's kind of dull." She says, looking around my light brown room.

"I suppose." I reply. "Please tell me your brother's room has more stuff in it. I know your like, opposed to messes but there is no way a 16 year old is as clean as you." She says and walks to his room. His door is cracked open so it looks like anyone is welcome to enter.

But she sort of burst in. "I knew it! There was no way you would be as neat and tidy as Kani!" She beams. "Who the fuck are you?!" He shouts and sets his guitar on the ground.

"Oh sorry. I'm Latula, a friend of Kankri's." She says and holds out a hand.

"Uh ok. How about this one. What the fuck are you doing in my room?" He snaps.

"Fine don't shake. I saw his room and it was boring so I figured there had to be some place with interesting stuff in it. Well, more interesting then his collection of books. As nice as it is it's not as eye catching as these posters. Although this room is really dark, do you ever turn the lights on?" She explains. "I rather let the moon or sun light in. It's bright enough until it gets real dark. Although I'm glad someone sees the value in things like my posters." He replies. "Haha. Hang on. Kani, come in here." She says. I do as she asks and enter the room. She grabs me by my shoulders and puts me next to Karkat. "Wow! I didn't think there would be that much of a difference between you to. I mean, There is only about 2 inches between you guys but Kankri has broader shoulders and stuff like that.. Ok, you can move." She says. "Well that was fucking pointless." Karkat complains.

"Karkat that is quite rude! I really insist you think about what you say before saying it at risk of triggering someone! When was the last time you checked your privileges? And while we're at it your room is a mess, you must tidy this up today-" I begin and fold my arms. "Kankri! Seriously. Stop for a fucking second. I'm sure you guys have something important to talk about or some shit so why don't you do that out of my room." He says and starts pushing me out. "But Karkat! Your rudeness. It's weakening me!" I joke and start going limp. "No it's not now get the fuck out!" He yells and continues to push me. "Yes it is! So weak! I can't, make it." I continue to go limp until I fall on top of him. "Kankri get your ass off of me!" His yells are muffle by either my back or the carpet.

Latula starts cracking up and I smile. I love to see her laughing. "But Karkat it's your rudeness! You must apologize. Hurry! I'm.. Dying.." I reply. "Fucking fine! I'm fucking sorry for using god damn curse words all the fucking time." He snaps. "Fine, I'll let that pass but I know you are just trying to spite me." I reply and stand up. "Now can you get out? I'm trying to do something actually important." He says as he stands. "What is it your doing?" I ask. "Trying to remember what was going through my head when I wrote this song lyric. It was like 2 in the morning to I was half asleep anyway but everything else has meaning." He answers while scratching the back of his head.

"Hm. I'll listen to it later and see if I can make sense of it." I reply and take my leave.

"You guys really are close! That was awesome!" Latula beams as she follows me down the stairs.

"Thank you. Normally that doesn't work so I'm surprised actually." I reply. We sit down on the couch and she makes herself at home very quickly by setting her feet on the coffee table and moving a pillow out of her way. "So. What's the sort of things that trigger you anyway?" She asks.

"You want to know?" I ask, I'm quite shocked! "Yeah, I mean, it's something that offends you or makes you angry right? Well what bothers you?" She asks. "Well. Abuse. Injustice Whe-other things..." I sort of answer. She turns to her side to look straight at me. "And what are those things?" She asks, sounding much more determinant I let out a sigh and begin remembering the exact quotes that make me cringe up. "Insufferable.. Obnoxious pain.. Annoying waste of time.." I begin zoning out slightly. "Stupid know it all. Shut up before someone does it for you. If you don't watch it someone might shut you up before you say another word. Insufferable! Shut the fuck up if you know what's good for you!-" I continue to ignore the outside world until I am cut off. "Kankri! Calm down ok. Your freaking me out." She shakes my shoulders. "I'm sorry. What were we talking about?" I ask., trying to forget what just happened. Why is it so hard to keep things on a positive note today? Oh right. I'm not talking as much. Now I remember why I talked so much all this time.

"Kankri you are being really really weird today. Just tell me what happened. There is no way you were sick. You are completely different from before. Your not talking and these upsetting things keep coming up when I ask you questions. Please tell me!" She says and lowers her head with her hands still on my shoulders. "Tula.. I just can't tell you. I want to but I can't. I'm not supposed to. I'm sorry I'm worrying you this much. But... I haven't been needing to talk as much since I've been home, I'm out of practice of my longer rants. It's been a while since I had my guard up." I reply. I said too much... "What do you mean had your guard up?" She asks. "There are things I don't want to talk about. To hear about. Be asked about. For personal reasons. And if no one gets the chance to ask, I wont have to answer. My words are my guard. Well, half of them are. I've always talked a lot but didn't anyone notice how it got worse? Or is it all the same to you? My annoying words are all the same." I reply. "Kankri.. I.. I don't know. Haven't you told Karkat any of these issues? That way you can get it out before seeing any of us." She asks. "Well. Some of it. He knows when it started, why it started, all the reasons. I don't think I have really mentioned my triggers or anything. But I have already worried him enough that he wont let me out of the house hardly. If he hears about anything else he might do something reckless" I explain. "Too late." Karkat says from the top of the stairs. "Karkat please hang on a second!" I shout as he races down the stairs.

"Why didn't you say something about there being more ass holes? And you!" He yells, then turns to Latula. "Don't you or anyone else of his so called friends think about this shit? He has feelings you know! And you go and insult him like that!" He yells some more. "Don't yell at her!" I yell back and stand up. "What, you got a girlfriend now? Fucking shitty one if she didn't notice any of this!" He replies. "Shut the hell up Karkat!" I scream and push him back. "Kankri! What is wrong with you to?! And for the record Karkat, the only ones who insulted him like that were Cronus and Meenah. Don't blame the rest of us! And I was around when they said that, it was only something about being annoying a few times. So whatever this is it didn't come from us." She snaps.

He looks at me with a knowing glare. "Karkat I know what your thinking. Your right about them, but there was only 3 when they showed up, there could be way more right now and I wont let you get hurt. It could be far worse then what they did to me." I say, trying to calm him down. I know it's too late though. He staggers for a second then takes off out the door. "Kankri what's going on? Who were you talking about? What did they do to you?" She asks. "I'm sorry but we NEED to stop him before he gets hurt." I say and head to the door. "Where is he going?" She asks, following me to the car.

"School." I answer. "You better take me with you." She says and climbs in the passenger seat before I can reply.

By the time we pull up he has already found the group. "Karkat stop!" I yell and race up them.

"So you got a little body guard now? He looks even weaker then you!" The leader looking one laughs. "I'll show you who's weak fucker!" Karkat yells and kicks between him legs.

"You little shit!" One of the others yells and takes a swing at him. Karkat has always been good at fighting and is certainly stronger then he looks. He ducks under the punch and grabs his wrist while it is still above him. He pulls the jerk's arm and pushes up on his stomach with the other hand to throw him over his head. There is a loud thud when he hits the ground, causing the others to stutter before attacking. "Stop it! Violence is not how this should be handled!" I yell. "You annoying little fucker!" One of them yells and punches me square in the jaw, causing me to fall to the ground.

"Kankri!" Karkat yells right before he growls and attacks the brute. I start getting up and turn my head to see what is happening. All I see at this point is the one that punched me smacking into a wall then into the ground. The first one kicks my stomach. Several times. I wonder if he knows that's where the broken rib is. It doesn't seem to matter anyhow as I am loosing the ability to focus or breath from the pain. "About time you shut up." He says as if he has won. All I see is a blur of upper cuts and hooks to their sides until they are all on the ground. He punches the (Pardon me) ass hole in jaw, then knees his stomach, making his not only drop to his knees but gasp for air as well.

"Touch my brother again and I'll fucking kill you." He says. There is a look in his eyes. Almost like he was happy this happened. But that is an issue for later. He kneels down next to me to help me. Thanks to him I manage to get up, grasping my side. He never gives up does he? The same leader ass hole stands back up and grabs Karkat's hair, he almost lifts him off the ground with his tight grip.

"Karkat!" I yell at the sight of his blood dripping on the ground. He has been stabbed in his side with a short pocket knife. He drops him and looks at me with knife in hand. "You ready little chatter box?" He asks. Before I can come up with the breath to say something he lunges at me.

I'm not really sure what I do to dodge it, but manage to avoid being cut by the knife.

He looks at me like he just saw a ghost, I ignore him and quickly take the knife from him.

Then throw it into the grass behind me and pause to speak. "Pardon my French.." I begin, then spin around with my leg extended, kicking the side of his head and knocking him to the ground.

"But check your fucking privilege." I finish and soon fall back to the ground.


	18. Chapter 18: Nepkat?

== Be Nepeta earlier that day

"Are you sure? I mean, I have money." I ask. "Don't make it a big deal." Karkat replies.

"Fine." I say and accept the sandwich he is handing me.

"Let's go sit down." He says and leads me to a table next to a window.

"How's Kankri been doing at home?" I ask. "He's fine. Bored. But fine. How do we know when his rib is healed anyway?" He replies. "It doesn't hurt when you poke it. And if it's already there then try whacking it. That's how I learned anyway. Figured it out the hard way as a matter of fact." I answer.

"Really? How did you break a rib anyway?" He asks. "Well, growing up Meulin and I always played in the forest outside of our house and she was showing me this birds nest at the top of a tall tree. I was about 8 and the branch I was on broke. It was a pretty big fall I think. Everything is bigger when your little. But it was still big enough to break one." I explain. "Ouch. And you still like climbing?" He asks. 'Yes! How can you say your strong if you stop when something goes wrong?" I reply.

"Why is everything you say so fucking deep?" He jokes. "I'm just awesome like that." I also joke.

We laugh a bit and start actually eating.

Afterwards we just walk around and talk.  
"So if your good at singing, song writing, and guitar, how come you never perform?" I ask.

"Pfft! Yeah right! I'm not that kind of musician." He answers. I giggle at his reply a little.

"Ok my turn. Why don't you do any of those rock climbing courses or something?" He asks.

"Why should I pay for classes that only teach what I mastered out in the open?" I reply.  
"Point taken. You turn." He says.  
"Hmm. If I found a good place, would you let me teach you to climb?" I ask.  
"Uhh. I guess. There are some tall trees outsiders house so they would used as an escape I guess. If I knew how to avoid breaking my neck that is." He answers. "Purrfect! Lets go!" I beam and grab his wrist. I know it is his house so I don't have to drag him there but it's faster this way.

"Are we seriously doing this?" He asks as his house comes into view. "Yup!" I beam. We come to a stop near the trees he mentioned. "Is that your bedroom?" I ask and point to the window the trees brush against. "Yeah." He answers. "Ok, then that will be our goal!" I reply and start examining the tree. "Your not serious are you? There is no fucking way I'm doing this." He asks.

"Too bad! You already agreed!" I reply. He sighs and joins me at the base of the tree.  
When I finally get him to where he can climb on his own I wait in his room with the window open. Its fun to watch him trying like this! Pretty peaceful to, expect the phone ringing.. oh that's his! "Answer the phone!" I shout. "How the fuck am I supposed to do that?!" He asks.

"Sit on that branch to your left"! I answer and point at a sturdy looking branch. He does as I ask and sits before answering his phone.  
"Yeah?"  
"Now's not a good time, can I call you back later or something?"  
"Oh yeah she's here. One sec. Nepeta! Sollux wants to talk to you." He shouts up to me and I hold out my hands, he then chucks the phone up to me.  
"Pawlux?"  
"Hey, where'th your phone?"  
"Oh, I think I left it at home.. Sorry about that." I walk in a small circle around the room and remove my hat. My hair is bothering me.  
"Oh ok. What are you doing anyway?" He sound critical..  
"Careful! Oh just teaching Karkitty some tricks, hehe!"  
"What?" He asks while I lean out the window to see how Karkat is doing.  
"No not there! Slow down!" I shout. He's going to kill himself if he rushes through it like that! Doesn't he even look at the branches before stepping on them?  
"Uh Nep?"  
"-huh?" I pull my head back into the room.  
"What the hell are you teaching him?"  
"Oh just how to-oh my god!" A loud crack sound is followed by his yelp and a thud.  
"The fuck just happened?"  
"Oooh my god. I'll call you back tonight, I have to go!" I hang up the phone and toss it onto his bed as I flee out the window to Karkat's aid. "Fucking weak tree branches!" He yells, clinging onto a branch for dear life. The one he was standing on broke and he was getting close to the top so its a very good thing he caught himself. I climb down the tree with ease and stand on the closest branch to him. "Take my hand." I say after getting in the best position I can for such help. He grabs my hand and I try to pull him onto the branch I'm on. His weight pulls me down into a squat and I cling onto his arm to not drop him. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck holy fuck!" He says, letting the panic ring through his voice. "Be quiet! It's hard enough as it is without you screaming!" I shout. "Oh I'm sorry for yelling but if you haven't noticed I'm about to fall!" He yells. I re-tighten my grip and lean back as I pull.

"Here. Put, put your your foot on that one you were grabbing." I choke out as I struggle.

"How the fuck do I do that?!" He asks. "Swing!" I snap. He swings forward and then I pull as much as I can to swing him far enough back to step on the branch.

"Ok.. Oh my god.. I blame you for that!" He says, now standing just fine.

I on the other hand am still holding onto his arm because I ended up sideways, the only thing that could be used to hold me up are my knees which I hooked over the branch. But it's a big thick branch, my legs cannot hold me up for very long if I were to let go of his arm.

"Nep? Please tell me your not-" He begins, but I don't want to hear right now.

"Not now! Just be quiet for 5 minutes..." I cut him off. I'm actually surprised he is listen to me.

I let my grip slide down his arm and I grip his hand instead. I close my eyes tightly and let go.

I hang from my knees for just a second before my slight swinging makes me fall.

"Nep!" I hear him yelling above me as I fall.

I have no intention of getting hurt, I never did. When I fell the motion was planned perfectly so that I did a back flip. I then did a second one because the momentum was already going, but I managed to stop my self in the safe landing position Meulin taught me after my broken rib.

So as it is suggested I land safely. When I stand up I look at Karkat in the tree, he looks like he just saw a ghost. "The fuck Nep?! How the hell did you even do that?!" He shouts.

"Hehe! I might show you later! But with how you've been doing it looks like I'm gonna have to." I tease. "Yeah yeah yeah. But get up here would you?" He shouts back. I can hear the relief in his voice, it makes me smile.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" I tease as we enter his room. "That was fucking awful. Don't you ever make me do that again." He replies. I fake a pout in reply and fold my arms. He sits on his bed and grabs his guitar. "Ok, you've had your fun. But now it's my turn to get you to do something." He says. I sit down next to him with my legs crossed. "You are gonna sing now." He says.

"Er no. I'm not very good." I reply and blush ever so slightly. "To fucking bad. Now sing." He says and gets ready to strum a tune. "Wait a second. What's that sound?" I ask.

We both pause to listen. "Oh gosh! I thought I hung it up!" I say and pick up the phone.

"Pawlux?" I ask. "Yeah." He answers coldly. "Sorry about that! But you would nefur believe what just happened!" I say. "I think I have a good idea." He replies. "Hehe, trust me though. Your gonna want to hear this." I beam. "Look, I have to go. Why don't you tell me later or thomething." He hangs up. "That's weird.. I wonder what put him in such a bad mood." I mumble.

"He's Sollux, that's why he is in a bad mood. That's just how he is." Karkat replies.

"Now your not getting out of this. Sing something." He commands. I fold my arms for a second as I think of what to sing. I decide on something I came up with. I take normal songs and change the words, I really do like to sing. But not many people hear me.

I bob my head to the beat before starting.

/listen/fevq

As I begin singing he catches on to the beat and strums a tune.

When the song is over he stares at me. Not in a shocked way, just. Staring.

"I told you I'm not very good." I say and look away so hide my blush. "No, you were good. But uh, where's your hat?" He asks. "Hm? Oh right! My hair was bothering me earlier so I took it off. I think it's over here.." I answer and stand up. "It's fine. You don't have to wear it you know." He says.

"Hehe. But Equius gave it to me." I smile over my shoulder. "What time is it?" I ask while picking it up. I ruffle my hair a bit and slide the hat back on. "Some time around 5 or 6 I think." He answers.

"What?! I have to get home!" I shout. "Why? I mean, feel free to leave but what's the big deal?" He asks. "I have to check Meulin's outfit and then go to Pawlux's house and be home in time fur dinner." I explain. "Ok then. See ya." He says and goes through the tune of that song he wrote.

"Did you ever name that song?" I ask. "No. What would I call it anyway?" He answers. I walk over to the window and pause with my hand on it. "Fever dreamless." I say and hop out.

I quickly climb down the tree, my previous landing now taking it's toll. As it does keep you from getting hurt, it always makes my hip ache. For Meulin it is her right knee, but for some reason only the right one. I guess it's the same for me, but it's my left hip instead of right.

I stroll home quickly to make sure Meulin is ready to go out.

"I'm home Mew!" I say as I enter. "Hurry hurry!" She shouts from her room.

When I walk in she is pacing around the room in her underwear with possible outfits scattered all over. "Mew! You always do this!" I snap. "I know but I don't know what to do!" She squeals.

"Your just going to study right?" I ask. "Yes!" She answers. "How about your normal skirt and things but with... This top and a jacket." I say and pick up a lime green cardigan and a black T-shirt.

"Ok!" She beams. She will wear almost anything I tell her too when she can't make up her mind.

"Ok, try not to be late! I have to go see Pawlux now and-What is that?" I ask and point to a ship on her wall. "My latest ship. I think it would be cute!" She beams. "But that's... Me and Karkitty." I reply, my confusion is obvious. "Yes, you nefur minded me shipping you befur." She says.

"I don't but, why me and him?" I ask. "I would explain but I don't want to put ideas in your head while your with Sollux." She replies. "Oh right! I have to go! Good luck!" I say and race out of the house.

I finally make it to Pawlux's house but I had to run the whole way. I really need to find a faster way to get around! I'm almost panting from all the running.

I lean my arm against the wall while I wait for him to open the door.

"Hey." He says, still sounding very cold. "Hi! Sorry I took so long but I had to stop by my house furst. You have no idea how tiring the running I've been doing is. Gosh.." I huff.

He steps aside to let me in. "But you should have seen Karkitty earlier, totally worth the running." I say and lean against the back of the couch. "Yeah. Thure thounded interethting." He replies.

"Why do you sound so cold?" I ask. "What ith it you two were doing anyway?" He asks.

"Well, we walked around for a while but then we went back to his house so I could teach him how to climb trees. The ones outside his room are purrfect fur it." I answer. "He almost fell though, that's when I thought I hung up. He was rushing through it to quickly and stepped n a weak branch. He was so high up if he didn't catch himself on a lower one he could have really hurt himself." I continue. "Tho the weird shit you were thaying wath coaching him?" He asks with his arms folded. "What weird things?" I ask. He looks away and I catch on.

"Wait.. Do you think I was cheating on you with Karkitty?" I ask. "You tell me." He answers. "Oh my god! Furst Meulin and now you! This is ridiculous! I do not have felines fur Karkitty!" I shout. "Meulin thinkth tho?!" He asks.

"Yeah but she ships everything so it's not like it means anything. Even if it does bother me." I answer.

"Great. That maketh me feel tho much better!" He sighs. "It doesn't matter! The point is, I don't like him! I like you!" I shout. We stand awkwardly in silence for a minute.

"This is getting us no where. Do you know how it makes me feel that you don't trust me?" I ask.

"I do trutht you.." He replies. "No you don't. If you did then you wouldn't have accused me of something so nasty." I snap. "Can you blame me? Your adorable. Anyone could try and take you from me. Besides, I'm just a computer geek with weird eyes while he of all people has this fucking deep past for you to get wrapped up in." He stares at the floor. "But just because someone tries to take me away doesn't mean I will let them. Can't say the same fur you though. Can I?" I reply.

His head jerks up. "What?" He asks. "You wanna play the accusing game don't you? What about Aradia? She is miss gorgeous adventurer. I know she is on your mind weather I am here or not. I can see it. Even befur she woke up you talked about her a lot and now your both being all _friendly_." I reply. "Oh my god. You are not going where I think you are." He says. "You tell me." I throw his words back at him. "I can't even believe thith! You should know better!" He snaps.

"Doesn't feel so good does it?! Maybe you should think about that before snapping at me!" I shout.

"I uthed to love her! Thorry for trying to thpend time with thomeone I almotht killed!" He yells.

"I have told you time and time again that it wasn't your fault! You just want something to be mad about so you don't sound like you have stupid teenage angst! Maybe if you weren't so furricking miserable with your amazing life it never would have happened!" I scream.

He steps back with shock. "Do you know how much I envy you?! Your life is purrfect! Sure, you don't see your dad but at least you have one! My mom hasn't been the same since he was taken so I have to be afraid that she will hurt herself every second of the day! And now that I'm living here there is nothing to help her back at home! I have guilt for real problems eating me all the time but I can at least say I try to be happy! You just let your heart sit on your sleeve and wallow in pointless pain. It makes you look like a coward." I snap. My phone starts ringing. I stare at him for a second before checking who it is. "Now is not a good time Kar-" I answer. He rolls his eyes with anger in plain sight. "Kankri? Slow down and explain what happened!.. Ok. I'm on my way." I hang up.

"Let me gueth, your going to Kk'th houthe?" He asks. "Yes but it's really important." I answer.

"Ok. You can thtay there then. I'm done with thith shit." He snaps.

"What are you saying?" I ask. "I'm done with you. With uth. It'th over." He answers.

I feel the tears welling up in my eyes already. I don't say a word, just walk out of the house.

I pause when I hear the door slam behind me. I have to get going.. But.. I can't help it!

I let a few sobs out before walking away. I have to try and hold it in. Just for a while...


	19. Chapter 19: Recovery

"Kankri calm down." I say. We are sitting on the couch at home. He has the rib issue, and I have a hole in my side. Stupid fucking punks.

"Your still bleeding though!" He replies. Nepeta burst through the door and freezes when she sees my blood filling up a hand towel. "What happened?!" She asks. "I beat the shit out of the punks that broke Kankri.. And I got stabbed..." I answer. "Oh my god!" She shouts.

"But that doesn't really matter right now. They got to Kankri again, you have to fix his rib." I continue. "Your going to bleed out Karkat!" Kankri yells. "Shut up! Both of you!" She screams.

"It will only take a minute to re-set Kankri's rib so I will do that first, I see you opening your mouth but I don't want to hear it. I have been through a lot today so suck it up and be quiet!" She snaps.

"Damn Nep." I say. "Shut it! This is your fault anyway!" She snaps and gets in my face.

"The fuck?!" I yell. "Ugh. Now's not the time... Karkat, get me a towel for him to bite down on. And some gothe." She says and turn to Kankri. I get up and grab it for her, by the time I get back she has already removed his shirt to see how the broken bone is placed. It looks like most of it is done by feel though. "Here." I say and hand her the towel. "Thanks, perfect timing." She says and rolls it up.

"I suggest you bite on this. It looks like this will be worse then last time." She says, he accepts the towel into his mouth and takes a deep breath to prepare for the pain.

I turn away and sit behind the couch so I don't have to see him like that.

I hear plenty of pain-filled groans before the towel is removed. I stand up and look over the couch.

She is staring at the ground and he is still catching his breath.

"Your next Karkat." She says and turns to me. "Where is the first aid stuff?" She asks.

"Laundry room." I answer and point in the direction of it. I watch her walk away, why is she so angry? I can even see it in her walk. "Didn't you see her earlier today?" Kankri asks, fixing his posture. "Yeah. She was in such a good mood then.. What's taking her so long in there?" I reply and walk down the small hall way to find her. I hear sniffling as she is leaning over the washing machine with her arms fully extended and propping herself up. "Nep?" I ask while taking another step through the doorway. She wipes the tears from her face and grabs the supplies she already pulled out.

"Yeah? Sorry I was taking so long." She says. "Nep what's going on?" I ask. "Nothing. I'm fine. Is there a sink your ok with getting blood in?" She replies. I point to the bathroom and she brushes past me to get there. I just watch her as the confusion takes over all of my thoughts.

I mean really. What could have happened? Is her sister ok? Did they have a fight? She said it was my fault, what did I do? Could it have something to do with Sollux? Did she get hurt when she fell?

I follow her into the bathroom and she points to the counter. "Sit." She orders. As strange as it is I do what she says. Without a word she pulls my shirt over my head and sets it aside.

"That looks pretty bad." She says as she takes a closer look at the cut.

"At least it isn't too deep. This is gonna feel weird but it shouldn't sting." She says and opens a brown bottle. "Lean sideways if you can." She pours some clear liquid into the bottle cap.

I set my hand in the sink for support and lean the rest of my body sideways.

She pours capfull into my wound and the she was right about it not stinging but shit it feels weird.

It's fizzy, so it tingles. But it's inside of my side which makes the weird maximized so it also is unpleasant. "The fuck is this?!" I ask. "Hydrogen peroxide. It will kill bacteria so keep it from getting infected. Let me know when it stops fizzing so much. I mean, I'll probably be able to tell on my own since it's making you cringe but just to be safe." She says coldly. My thoughts take over again and I pretty much forget about the fizzing. She is leaning against the wall and staring into space.

I don't get it.. What happened? She was so happy before.. It was only an hour since I saw her so it must have been quick. What on earth could make Nepeta of all people so upset?

I start sitting up straight and she jerks her head to me. "Is it done?" She asks. I don't know. But I nod anyway. "Ok, I'll be right back." She says and heads back to the living room. After a few cabinet doors opening and closing she comes back with a cup and fills it with water in the sink.

"Sideways again." She says just as coldly as before. I do what she says at risk of her yelling at me.

There are clearly some pent up emotions and I sure as hell don't want them to be unleashed onto me.

She pours the water into the cut and all around it. "Shit that's cold." I mumble.

"Well too bad, your gonna need some ice on it when I finish." She replies.

"You sure I shouldn't just hug you? Your colder then ice right now." I joke.

"Well you would know wouldn't you?" She snaps. "Nep I was joking." I reply.

She stands there silently. What is going on? I'm not the best at picking up on people's feelings but I don't have to be to know she is pissed. Like 'I will literally cut you if you talk to me bitch' kind of pissed. It makes no sense. "Can I sit up now?" I ask. "Yeah." She answers. Her voice is suddenly weak. "Nepeta you have to talk to someone. Your clearly pissed about something. You don't need to tell me or anything but talk to someone. Or freaking me out." I say and hop off of the counter.

"Arms up." She says and grabs the gauze. "Say something that makes sense first." I reply.

She grabs my arm and lifts it forcefully, then starts wrapping the gauze around my stomach.

"Here." She says when she is finished and shoves my shirt against me.

I follow her out to the living room. "Try not to get beat up again." She fakes a giggle and grabs the doorknob, I grab her arm at the same time. "Let go of me." She snaps and rips her arm out of my grip.

"Nepeta?" Kankri asks. "Please just let me go..." She says softly, I can hear a crack in her voice.

"Nepeta. Sit down and tell us what's going on." He places a hand on her shoulder.

"Fine.. But, not to be rude, but I don't want to talk with Karkat right now." She replies.

"I'll be upstairs I guess." I say and turn to go up the stairs. What she doesn't know is that I leave my door cracked open so I can hear and see them.

They sit down facing each other. "What seems to be the problem? Karkat said you were fine last time he saw you." He asks. "I went to see Sollux when I left. He thinks I'm cheating on him. Cheating with Karkitty. And Meulin even thinks I should be with him. I just don't get why no one understands how I feel!" She begins to sob. "It's so hard to explain to anyone! They think they know how I feel but they don't! And then.. He broke up with me.. And.." She sobs louder and louder still.

"And I can vent into my songs normally. But what can fit this?! And either way.. I think he still loves Aradia. So either way. I'm ending up alone again!" She continues to weep.

"Shooosh.." He pulls her into a hug and she grips the front of his shirt as she buries her face in his shoulder. "It's ok Nepeta. I must say, I understand people not knowing how you feel. But if you don't tell them they will never know." He says, I'm pretty sure he is realizing this for himself too.

She sobs into him without another word. "I feel like I'm just done.. Nothing here is working out for me except for being friends with Feferi and Terezi." She says as the weeping slows down.

"Maybe I should just go home and keep an eye on my mom. I've been worried about her." She continues. "Don't think like that!" He says and pushes her half way out if the hug.

"If you leave now everyone will be heart broken! You have touched so many life's as it is. If it wasn't for you I could be dead by now." He continues. She looks like he just said the most touching thing ever. "Thank you." She squeals weakly and pulls him into a stronger hug. "I should apologize to him shouldn't i?" She asks. "I think so. Thank you for everything you've done." He replies. They both let go and she stands up. "Oh Nepeta, he was probably listening." He says when she is half way to the stairs. "I know." She replies and continues walking. I jump onto my bed and wait for her to enter. "Hey Karkat. I know you just heard all of it." She says as she walks in my room.

"Yeah. If you know I was listening why did you make me leave the room?" I ask. She scratches the back of her head and looks away. "I didn't want to look at you while crying about things involving you. I guess.." she answers and lowers her arm. "I'm sorry for being so rude befur. Its just." She says. "I get it. He thought you and I had something going on. I would be mad at you to if it was reversed." I stop her. "Thanks fur understanding. Fur everything really." She says and sits down next to me. "Its not like I did anything. All I seem to do is screw shit up." I reply.

"You really don't see it do you?" She asks. "See what?" I ask. "Nothing. You'll see it later on." She answers. "...You said before that you sang songs to vent right?" I ask. "Yeah." She answers.

"Let me help." I say. She turns to me and I glance at her. "Why would you want to do that?" She asks, almost like she is shocked I would want to help. "So I can say I helped you I guess." I answer.

"..Ok then!" She smiles.

After a little while of arguing over what song, what lyrics to replace, what to replace those lyrics with, we finally finished her song. And by the time we finished it was midnight. Then we started being retards and recorded some not meaningful in the slightest song that I don't really remember or want to remember because I don't like that there is proof I was so freaking stupid.

After that I don't know because I never remember anything past midnight.

I shake my head and look around the room to figure out why the hell I'm on the floor right now.

I am leaning against my bed and Nepeta is next to me with her head on my shoulder.

How we got here I do not know. As I said before, I don't remember anything past midnight.

I jump a little when I realize she is leaning on me. I gently lay her down properly and get up.

I grab some clean clothe and go to the bathroom to change in case she wakes up.

On my way back to the room Kankri stops me. "Karkat. Is she still here?" He asks from the kitchen.

"Yeah. Why?" I ask over my shoulder in reply. "There is school today." He answers.

"Shit. I'll wake her up in a minute then." I reply and go back into the room.

I check to clock and there is still an hour or so before we have to leave. But I guess I should still wake her up, I don't know how girls get ready in the morning.

I squat down in front of her and poke her arm. How do you even wake someone up without scaring the shit out of them? I shake her shoulder gently until her eyes flutter open.

"Hello." She yawns. "Yeeeeah, we have school today." I reply. She jerks up with wide eyes, "What time is it?!" She asks. "Don't worry there is still more then an hour before we have to leave." I answer. "Good." She sighs. We both stand up and avoid awkward eye contact.

"Hehe, this is the second time we have woken up in the same room." She giggles.

"Yeah.." I scratch the back of my head so I have something to do.

"Do you mind if I shower?" She asks. "Knock yourself out." I answer and let my arm flop against my leg. She skips calmly down to the bathroom and locks the door. Is locking it really nessessary when not only do I know she is in there but anyone can hear the shower running? Force of habit for being at someone else's house I get. I just answered my own pointless question...

I grab her Ipod off the floor of my room to see what the fuck we recorded.

/listen/xfbe

Oh my god we sound stupid. It ends by her giggling about how my voice was higher then normal.

Which it was for some fucked up reason. I sit on the bed and set my laptop on my lap.

After about 5 minutes Nepeta returns to the room and sits down on the floor with her legs crossed.

I ignore her for the most part but I notice her looking around the room. She grabs her Ipod and puts her headphones in to hear what we made. She smiles softly and giggles when the duet plays.

I'm guessing anyway. I pause the video I was playing and look over at her.

"Your going to delete that right?" I ask. "No way! This is pawsome!" She beams.

"It's fucking embarrassing that's what it is." I reply. "Fine. I wont show it anyone but I'm keeping it." She says. "Whatever." I reply and continue browsing the internet.

She stands up and leaves the room, after that I hear her talking to someone before coming back in.

I don't say anything but I look at her with a confused expression. "I was letting Meulin know where I am." She answers. After a little while longer Kankri calls us down for breakfast.

"Thanks." Nepeta beams as she sits in front of the plate he made for her.

"Not at all." He replies. "So. If you don't mind my asking, where is your dad?" She asks.

"He is most likely in his room. He normally doesn't go anywhere in the morning." Kankri answers.

"Oh. Does he work a night shift or something?" She asks. I continue to sit in silence, staring down at my plate. "Most days yes. Other times I don't know where he goes." He answers.

"Hm. Purrobably running errands or seeing a furriend." She replies. "What kind of friends would that lazy ass have?" I mumble, not wanting to be heard I shut up and continue eating.

The way the looks right now leads me to realize they did hear me, I wonder if it is good or bad that she isn't asking about it. "Well you had better get going if your done eating." Kankri says quickly.

"Uh right! It was delicious." She beams and hops off the bar stool.

"Thank you. Have a good day." He replies and she and I leave.


	20. Chapter 20: Sollux stop it

We walk into the hall and she follows me at first because her locker is in the same direction.

She looks down when Sollux comes into view. "You gonna be ok? You have to sit with him for the classes you have together don't you?" I ask. "I should be fine.." She answers.

I feel bad for her.. "I could trade seats with you?" I ask. "No no. I would sit next to Feferi then and I don't want to explain it to anyone yet." She answers.

I don't say anything else until we get to class. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, she starts shuffling to her seat next to Sollux. I notice and grab her hand. I pull her over to my desk, "Feferi, could you trade seats with Nepeta?" I ask the sitting Feferi. "Sure. Is something going on with you and Sollux?" She asks and strands up. "Yeah. I'll tell you about it later." She answers. "Ok. As long as your ok." Feferi replies and goes to Sollux's table. Nepeta and I sit down and she awkwardly looks up at me with sad eyes. "Thanks." She says softly. "No problem." I reply calmly.

She seems fine when class ends but we will see how long that lasts.

By the time I see her again we are on our way to lunch. Naturally everyone else is already there at our normal table, and I'm honestly expecting her to want to sit somewhere that he isn't but I'm proven wrong.  
Neither of them say a word or make eye contact, she even sits with as many people in between them as possible. "Nepeta I have to talk to you about something I heard." Terezi says as soon as we sit down. "What is it?" She asks. "Someone in your chemistry class heard you and Karkat talking this morning. Is there something you aren't telling us?" Terezi replies. "Yeah Nep. Ith there thomething you want to feth up to?" Sollux chimes in.

And there goes her happy face.. She keeps a small smile to hide her sadness the best she can like always."Leave her alone ass hat." I snap at him. "Pfft. Fine." He replies and leans back in his chair, looking like a douche. "Can I tell you about it later?" She asks with a hush tone. "Uh ok. But that better mean your coming over after school." Terezi answers.

"Yeah. You should to Fefurry, I don't want to explain it moar then I have to." She says, sounding much better in tone. "Of coarse!" Feferi beams like she does about almost everything. They all smile, Eridan looks left out, Sollux is ignoring everyone, and I am just eating. Its lunch isn't it?  
"Wwill someone explain this to me?" Eridan asks. "No." Sollux cuts him off.

"But wwhat happened?" He whines persistently. "Drop it fishdick." Sollux snaps.

"Sollux be mature about this would you?" Nepeta chimes in. "Well you sure know all about mature things don't you?" He replies and storms away, mumbling something. She looks down at the table for just a second before lifting her head back up and smiling. Damn she's good at that. If I didn't know what was going on I would think she was fine.

Why does she always have to fake it like that though? It's stupid. I know she is hurting, he is going to apologize. I'll make him if it the last thing I ever fucking do.

I run up behind him and grab his shoulder to turn him around. "Hey!" I snap.

"Get off me!" He yells. "No you fucker! Do you know how much douche-y-ness you are leaking today? Your like a broken ass faucet about to explode if you haven't already!" I reply. "Shut the fuck up Kk!" He pushes me back with both hands. "Why don't you check your fucking ego for once in your god damn perfect life?! Do you even realize how stupid this is?!" I yell.  
"I thaid shut the fuck up!" He screams and pushes me twice as hard at least. "You're the little fucker who methed with everything!" He yells. "I didn't do anything! When have I ever said that liked her?! I never did and never will! And for the record, if we were going to hook up we sure as hell wouldn't answer the phone! Who the fuck would?!" I scream and march closer to him again. "Its your god damned fault for being a dumb as fuck jealous nook stain we all have to tip toe around!" I scream. He almost takes a step forward but chickens out 3 times before talking again. "The fuck did she tell you?" He asks, still as wrongly pissed as ever. "Everything. She came over almost in tears because of you! I doubt she would have come at all if Kankri and I-" I don't finish. I don't think I should tell him and I sure as fuck won't shout it in front of everyone. "You thtill thound creepy ath fuck Kk, get to the point if you even have one." He snaps. "Just back the fuck off of her.. And me for that matter." I snap back.

"But I guess you need something to be mad about now that Aradia is f-" I start mumbling but I can't finish. I was turning to walk away. Tall bastard. He punched me square in the jaw and I heard Feferi yelp along with the sound of a sliding chair. Neither if us say a word. I turn to face him slowly until I am in a good position. I kick the side of his left knee and he drops down. "Fuck it Kk!" He shouts and reaches for me. He grips the front of my shirt and as he stands back up he pulls me down into his knee. The fucker had terrible aim or something because he just hit the front of my stab.

I make a gag sound and fall to my hands and knees as I feel the wound beginning to bleed once again. "Karkat!" Nepeta screams and slides on her knees over to me. She lifts the side of my shirt up enough to see the blood beginning to seep through the gauze she had wrapped around me. Sollux ignores us and lets out a irritated sigh. At that, she stops, lets my shirt fall back down and stands up. I sit back painfully onto my heels just in time to witness her sideways-axe kicking him. If it wasn't for his arm she would have done a number on his ribs I bet. "You giant ass hole! Don't you know he is hurt?!" She screams at him. He stares is shock while holding his arm and she comes back to my side. "Come on, we should get you to the nurse for better treatment." She says with her hands on my shoulders to steady me. I stumble to my feet and she and I leave everyone in shock.

Thanks to the damn nurse I get sent home early. "I shouldn't have to go home just because of this." I mumble as me and Nepeta walk down the hall. "I'm just glad your ok." She says, sounding chipper as ever. "But are you ok?" I ask. "Yeah." She smiles. "I mean really." I reply. Her smile shrinks but doesn't entirely leave. "It's just a break up, I'll get over it before you know it. But I feel a lot better now that I kicked him. And your fighting helped to. Oh! I never thanked you!" She exclaims.

"You don't have to though, I just wanted to give that bastard an earful for being a douche." I reply.

"No. You were standing up fur me. So thank you." She says with a sweet, gentle voice.

It _almost_ makes me blush, I'm not really used to someone paying that much attention to what I do.

And certainly not someone thanking me for what I do. "Uh, no problem... Nice kick." I reply.

"Hehe! Thanks." She giggles. We stop outside. "You gonna survive the rest of the day?" I ask.

"Yeah. If he starts being rude again I'll just punch the bruise I think I made." She smiles.

I grin and wave goodbye.


	21. Chapter 21: Day out with MituLa

Merely an hour after Karkat and Nepeta leave my phone rings.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Kankri! What happened?! Are you ok?! You guys just left!" Latula screams into the phone.

"Hello Latula. We are fine. His friend is very good with wounds. She had to bandage him and re-set my rib but there wasn't-"

"They broke your rib?!" She cuts me off.

"No no! Well. Yes but.." I sigh.

"I'm coming over there right now!" She hangs up.

Well that didn't go right. I tidy up a bit more before the shows up.

Soon enough she storms through the door. "Oh, I forgot to lock that." I say to myself.

"What the hell happened?" She shouts and slams the door behind her.

"The reason I was home for so long. They attacked me at school once before, I wasn't hurt to horribly besides the broken rib. Everything else healed." I explain. "What is 'everything else'?" She asks.

"A busted lip. Nose bleed. A few cuts on my arms. A scrape inside of my throat.. Some bruises pretty much everywhere.. It's all fine now though." I explain. I try to keep her calm but that doesn't work at all. I just don't want her to worry. "How the hell did they cut your throat? You know what. I'm not gonna ask. How can you be so ok with this?" She replies. I gesture to over to the couch.

"I don't like holding grudges. It's unhealthy." I say as we sit down. "So is getting beat to shit!" She shouts. I let out a sigh and look as meaningful as I can into her eyes to get my point across.

"You can't tell anyone. Any of this." I say. "But why?" She asks. She is much calmer now..

"To be honest I don't know. Karkat is worried about people hearing for some reason. And if he didn't do what he did I could be hurt far worse. I have to trust him." I answer.

"Fine.. But Mituna is behind you." She replies. I turn around and confirm, Mituna is standing next to the couch. "I'm confuthed." He says. "Who did that to you?" He asks.

"Some punks at school. But Karkat took care of them last night." I answer.

"Oh. Tho, are you coming back now?" He asks. "Yes. I'm not supposed to until tomorrow though." I reply. He smiles at me and then at Latula. "That's good! We're ditching today. So you are coming with us for some fun!" She beams and stands up with a wide grin. "Ditching school is not a good practice." I protest. "Yeah but we're not practicing it we're just doing it!" She laughs and pulls me up.

"Let's go!" She beams and pulls me along by the hand. It's strange. I didn't think that they really cared this much. "We brought you a thpare board too!" Mituna beams when we get outside.

Sure enough, there is a red skateboard sitting next to his yellow and her teal one.

"But I can't ride." I say. They hop on theirs and they both take one of my hands.

"That's what we're here for!" She replies. I step on the red board and they kick off.

It is a very good thing they know what they are doing, if they weren't holding my hands I would be falling as soon as we got moving. When the sidewalk get smaller one of them goes infringing and the other behind so we make a chain.  
"Where are we going?" I ask. "The park! We're gonna show you our normal rout!" She beams. They pull me into a harsh right turn, making me wobble on the board. Soon enough we climb up a hill and quickly down it into a path through the trees. Since Latula is leading I don't have to worry about where I'm going, I look up at the light peeking trough the tunnel of trees. Feeling the cool of the shade and the glimpses of warmth from the drops of light, it's a wonderful feeling. What makes it all the better is the sparks that shoot through me when I remember I am holding Latula's hand. Those sparks are just as quickly silenced when I remember her relation with Mituna, the person holding my other hand.

They are a couple. A very happy one to my knowledge. They have been for quite some time actually.

I have liked her for just as long, but I believe it is just the want to love. I doubt I will every do anything about these feelings as they are something as simple as a crush.

But it is nice to still have them.

We exit the tunnel and the path splits in two. Latula lets go of my hand and soon Mituna does as well.

At the last second Mituna pushes my back and I drift off on to the right while they go to the left.

"Woah-what are you doing?" I shout back at them. "Have fun!" Latula shouts back.

How do I do this? She never taught me anything! I start leaning to the right to gain my balance but I start turning. So that's how you turn! Oh I'm going the wrong way! I lean left and follow the path.

After a few minutes at my speed the path merges with another back into one and I see her bending down and patting Mituna's shoulder as he lies face down. Well I can't say I wasn't expecting him to fall at some point. "How do you stop?" I ask as I get close to where they are at.

"Put your foot on the ground." She answers, then continues comforting Mituna. He sits up and yells at himself for a moment. I stomp my left foot to stop before I reach them. Which backfires when the board keeps moving quickly and I fall backwards. "Gah!" I yelp as I fall and my head hit's the ground. "Are you ok?" She asks. I cradle the back of my head with my hands and sit up.

"Yes, I believe so." I answer. "HAHAHAHA that was thuch a fail!" Mituna laughs.

"Says the one who just laid there after falling." I reply. He shuts up instantly and Latula holds back her laughter by covering her mouth. I pick up the board and walk over to them.

"Did you figure out how to turn?" She asks and stands up along with Mituna.

"Yes. If I didn't I wouldn't have made it over here." I chuckle. "Hahaha!... Where do you want to go next?" She asks. "I don't know, I wasn't planning on going anywhere in the first place." I reply.

"Good point.. Tuna?" She turns to him. "Can we get lunch?" He asks. "Sure!" And answers.

Lunch was strange. At one point I had begun to go on about the health choices of the place and they stopped me before it reached the point where someone sighed. And it wasn't in the way that I'm used to either. Normally someone would scream at me, or cover my mouth, or slap my arm, but Tula just shooshed me politely. I know it is a result from everything she has learned about me. But it was still nice.

Now we walk down that shopping street next to the park. It's actually funny how we haven't left the general area at all. The trees blocked my view of the street for so long I forgot it was here.

It seems we are just strolling to pass the time now really, nothing seems to be catching their eyes since there isn't a skate shop around here.

…...I spoke to soon...

"Excuse me for a moment." I say and swiftly move out of our little trio and over to a book stand.

In just a minute I return to them with 3 books in my arms. "Proceed." I say and we start walking again. "What ith with you and bookth? They're tho boring." Mituna asks.

"On the contrary reading is the thing that Karkat did to pass his English exam." I reply.

"I personally find them enjoyable. And quite the learning experience." I finish with my nose in the air.

"What kind of bookth are thothe then?" He asks and grabs one out of my folded arms.

"No no no no no!" I shout and fight to get it back. "What even ith thith?" He asks.

He has a very strong grip! "Let it go!" He yells. "No! Give it back!" I shout back.

With both of our arms extended fully this is a hard battle to win. I put a foot on his stomach and try to push him back. "Cheater!" He yells. "It's my book!" I shout. "Oh my god your guys are hilarious!" Latula laughs. She is almost doubled over with laughter. I have to wonder how ridiculous we look to everyone around. "Give me my book!" I yell and lightly kick my foot against him, breaking his grip and sending both of us to the ground. "I suppose I should have expected that.." I say to myself as I ruffle my hair to get the dirt out of it. The gravel on the rode is quite annoying now.

"Fucker!" He yells as we both get up. "Tuna! Calm down alright babe?" She says and puts her arm around him and her hand on his shoulder. "Fine." He pouts. "Thank you." I reply.

I wonder if he was glaring at me just then.. I can't see past his helmet shades. Even without it his eyes are covered by his curly and at the same time straight hair. It's impossible to read him that way.

"Lets go." She says and we start walking again. I can't help but feel envious of him at this time..

She kept her hand on his shoulder and is resting her head on the other with his arm around her waist.

And then me, holding books. We walk around a little while longer before Latula breaks the silence.

"Really, what are those books about?" She asks. "Nothing." I answer and look away with my nose in the air. "That sounds suspicious Kankri. Tell us tell us tell us tell us!" She replies.

"No." I say. I glance back at them and Mituna has a very wide smirk. He read the title..

"What kind of romance bookth are thothe anyway?" He asks. I blush slightly.

"Your like Karkat aren't you? Oh my gosh you guys could totally swap notes or something." She beams. "We tried once. It didn't go very well." I reply, and then realize that I just admitted to liking romance novels. "So I have to ask. What is the big appeal to those stories anyway?" She asks.

"Well. I suppose it is so that those of us without someone to love can still feel the, as Meulin says, 'feels' of the relationship pairing." I answer. "Oh. Well I guess everybody needs to feel the feels at some point. That's why I got you Tuna." She replies with a smile. "Da da da da! I got the babe!" He jokes and hugs her. "Hahahaha! Love you Tuna." She laughs. "Love you too Tulip." He replies.

I smile softly and look up at the trees. I heard Karkat talking with Nepeta last night about the trees outside out house and how they are similar to these. She said they were easy to climb. I'm curious how that works. I see her point, there are some low to the ground branches and plenty going through the entire tree, most of them look sturdy. And some of the thicker ones curve around and should be easy to walk or sit on. I might have to try climbing someday...

"Ever wonder what it's like to be at the top of a tree?" I ask quietly. "What?" She asks.

"Nothing. Just speaking to myself." I reply, not taking my eyes off of the trees.

"Tulip, ith that your board? Are thothe all of our boardth?" He asks, this breaks my thoughts and I look over to where he is pointing. We left them at the park didn't we?

"Hey! Ath hatth! Give thothe back!" He yells and starts chasing the teenagers.

After he catches them they get into an argument and Latula soon joins them. Then I find it necessary to join as well. "Excuse me but if I may intrude on your current argument. I believe those are ours and I do apologize for the confusion as we forgot them at the park over there when we left to get lunch. As I am not very interested in the small vehicles, my friends here take them very seriously and I would appreciate it if you gave those back." I say with my arms folded. "Who the fuck are you? Your giving me a headache douche, back off." One of them snaps. "That is a very rude and is a quite triggering statement. I feel I should warn you of other triggers that might come up and I hope you will be so kind as to avoid them in the conversation Triggers include but are not limited to-" I begin.

"Oh my god shut the fuck up." One of them cuts me off with a sigh of annoyance

The triggering sentence stabs the back of my head and my eyes open in shock.

Latula and Mituna look at each other with confused looks then at me and back at each other.

It hits them. I open my mouth to continue agitating them but before one sound can come out Mituna grabs the boy's shirt and Latula grabs the other's. "Why don't you little bratth back off and drop our thtuff?" He snaps. "It just so happens that he is in fact our friend. So if you say one more bad thing to him I will snap your little nooby neck." She glares at the boy. I see the fear in the young boys eyes.

"Fine god! Take your stupid boards back!" One replies. They hand over our things and take off running. "AAAAAWWWW YEAH." Latula and Mituna yell as they high five.

"Showed those punks!" She laughs. "Was violence really necessary?" I ask.

"When they have our shit it ith!" He answers. "Nobody disses the Kan anymore!" She says and throws her fist in the air. I blush slightly and look away. "Thank you." I reply.

"Come on man!" She says. I look back and they both have a fist in the air that are ready for a bump.

I smile and join them in a 3 way fist bump.


	22. Chapter 22: Meulin and movies

It seems to be a rather average day for me. I have finally returned to school and everything is fine. Those students that jumped me have been avoiding me. I saw them once in the halls and they jumped back when I said hello, which of course I did. If the problem is solved there is no reason I should hold to much of a grudge against them. There is still some anger there but they did hurt Karkat after all.

I sit down at a small outdoor table for lunch. As soon as I do this however, Meulin comes springing along and hugs me, almost knocking me to the floor if she had the smallest bit more force.

"Kancriiiiiiitter!" She squeals. "Yes Meulin?" I ask, trying to break free of her grip.

She truly is stronger then she looks. Her arms are locked around my neck and she smooshed the side of her face against mine. "Meulin this is a rather triggering action as I value my personal space quite a bit and do not enjoy physical contact." I begin. She quickly releases me and takes a small step back. A smile still on her face. She always respects my wishes quickly, I am not sure if it is because she does not wish to be scolded with one of my 'rants' or she simply does not want to offend me. I am ok with it either way. "I'm so glad your back Kancritter! I was so worried! Latula only told me part of what happened because she said it might offend you to explain behind your back. It's nice that she was respecting your wishes but I really really really want to know! You look like your ok though!" She beams, talking very quickly as always. "Yes, it is a rather unpleasant story. But the issue has subsided so you do not need to worry about it. However if you still wish to know I shall explain to not be keeping secrets from a friend and therefore triggering you in anyway." I reply.

"Yay!" She squeals with her hands in the air. She quickly drops the down and sits next to me, setting her elbows on the table to lean on it with her hands under her chin. I explain it vaguely to keep it nice and calm.

Her smile has faded and she now looks rather shocked with a slightly dropped jaw.

She stands up swiftly with her hair puffed up a bit and her hands slammed on the table. "They did WHAT?!" She shouts. I just watch her, leaning away a bit with wide eyes. "I'm gonna fuck their shit up!" She screams. "Uhh, Meulin. The matter has already been dealt with." I say. I lay an open palm on her hand and look up at her calmly, hoping she will give this loud behavior a rest. He looks down at me, looking much more mellow and slightly shocked yet again. But not in the same way it seems.

"Fine. But if I see those punks someone better hold me back." She says and sits back down. I pull my hand back now that she is calm. We proceed to eat lunch together and have some small chats throughout.

== Be Karkat

I'm on my way to the movies with Nepeta. Terezi and Gamzee should be meeting us there but I wouldn't be surprised if they were late since neither of them have a good record for being on time.

"Soooo Karkitty." She starts. She has her hands behind her back and is walking clearly with bounce in her step. "There is one new romcom we could see, however there is also a horror and I can already tell they are gonna want to watch that one. I purrpose we double team against them to get the romcom. What do ya say?" She asks. "Agreed." I answer. "There is no way I'm sitting in a dark theater with blood all over the screen only to be kicked out when I am flipping my shit to loud." I continue.

She giggles and smiles at me. "Good to see we can agree on that. Last time I saw one of those I had nightmares for almost a week." She says. "Really?" I ask. "Mhm." She nods.

We get to the theater and to my surprise Gamzee is already there.

"Gamzee!" Nepeta squeals and runs over to him. He picks her up and spins her around a little while she just laughs. They almost look like a couple. Pretty stupid really since they aren't. I mean, if they are close that's fine but if anyone who didn't know them was watching it seriously looks like they are together. Not like it's really bothering me but it's misleading.

"Hey!" Terezi shouts from behind me. I jump and turn around instantly.

"Jesus fuck Terezi stop doing that." I say, giving her a bit f a glare.

"Hehehehe! But you look soooo funny when you jump." She replies. "You can't even see me." I fold my arms and give her a disapproving look. Not like she can tell. She starts glaring at me.

"Karkat that was highly offensive. What would Kankri say about that 'triggering' sentence huh?" She replies. "Oh whatever." I turn back around, seeing Nepeta and Gamzee talking about whatever and laughing like idiots still. I grumble a bit before Terezi starts snickering. "The fuck are you laughing at?" I ask. "You are so jealous of Gamzee." She answers. "What?" I ask. That is so stupid of course I'm not...

"Hey Karbro." Gamzee says, him and Nepeta now standing next to us. "Hey Gamzee." I reply.

Terezi whispers something to Nepeta and they both start giggling.

"Let's just get in the movie." I say and head to the ticket booth.

"Horror time!" Terezi puts her fist in the air. "Hell no I am not gonna give myself nightmares because you want to." I reply. "Come oooooon Karkles!" She groans as she sets her elbow on my shoulder and leans on me. "Would you just man up." She continues.

"Get the fuck off me." I snap. "Bluuuuh you're no fun!" She whines. "Nepeta would you back me up here?" I look over my shoulder at her.

"Of course! I really don't think it's a good idea to watch something so scary." She says. Terezi rolls her eyes. "Guys it doesn't even look that scary. The previews always over do the dramatic fear aspect and it hardly looked creepy. You will be fine." She replies. "...Really?" Nepeta asks. Oh shit I'm gonna be outnumbered! "Yes. Really." Terezi answers. "Well.." Nepeta starts to say.

No no no no Nepeta don't- "Ok I guess." FUCK!

And so we watched the horror movie which Terezi definitely lied about.

Nepeta and I ended up clinging to each other and trying to hide our faces but it was one of those times when you really want to look away but you just can't. So as you can guess, it was terrible!

Afterwards We all split up to head our separate ways. Though, once Nepeta and I are walking together again she speaks up after whispering to herself.

"Would you like to come back to my house for a while?" She asks. "I want to show you something and talk to you about it actually." She keeps most of her sight on the ground in front of her.

"I would say yes but Kankri is gonna chew me out for just being out this late." I answer.

"Maybe tomorrow or something." I half smile at her. "Ok!" She replies, looking as perky as ever.

I kind of wonder what it is...

"So can we agree it was a horrible idea to see that movie?" I ask. "Hell yeah-er. I mean, yes." She answers. "Y'know you can curse around me. Or any of us really." I look at her.

"Yeah I know. I'm not supposed to around Equihiss so it's a bit of a habit to not. Besides I don't think it sounds very natural for me to say any of that "lewd" language." She giggles.

"Lewd?" I ask. "He talks funny and calls it lewd or foul." She answers.

She deepens her tone, I guess trying to mimic him? "Role playing is foolish and you shall stop at once!" She breaks into snickers and giggles. I can't help but laugh along with her.

Soon we end up outside her house. "Who's car is that?" I ask, pointing at the driveway.

"My uncle's. He is staying with us for a few days to visit." She answers. We stop on the sidewalk.

"What's he like?" I ask. "He's nice. Really tall compared to us so it's funny. And he likes to drink sometimes so I don't see him when he does. I don't know what he's like during that but I guess that's why he hasn't been drinking since he got here. He might be one of those angry drunks." She answers.

That tooootally sounds safe to be around.

There is a screamish sound from inside. I raise en eyebrow and look at Nepeta. She doesn't seem worried about it... "What was that?" I ask. "Meulin. She screams and squeals about a lot of stuff. I bet she is talking to Kurloz and started fangirling." She explains. "Oh. Wait who's that?" I ask.

"He is this guy that she likes. Turns out it's a small world because he is that friend of Mituna's that was there for the accident. She doesn't even know she likes him but I think she does." She answers.

"Huh. That's pretty cool actually." I reply and check my watch. "Shit I have to get going. I'll see you tomorrow." I say and wave goodbye. She waves back and heads inside.

I head home. It's kind of weird. I feel like I'm missing something...


	23. Chapter 23: Attacked

**((A/N sorry if there is any part in here that doesn't make sense with the last chapter but I wrote this one as an idea around 3 weeks before the other, maybe even longer. That and I am to lazy to check but I think it will be ok. Thanks!))**

I stroll inside and am shocked by what I see. My uncle is standing over Meulin with a almost empty bottle in his hand and her lying on the floor. I can see the bruise on the side of her face that is already forming. The sight makes me gasp, catching his attention.

"You're home." He sneers. I race up and stop right in front of his, hitting his chest with my open palms and pushes him back. It's much faster then it sounds. I look at Meulin, she is awake but she looks dizzy. I pick her up and as quickly as possible run around him to get to her room, setting her in there and closing the door. When I turn back around he is only a few feet away.

"That wasn't very nice." He growls. This is terrifying...

I race to my room and try to slam the door but he stops it with his hand.

"Go away!" I scream. I almost get the door closed, he seems to be letting up with the block.

Or so I think. He then kicks the door, knocking me back and swinging it open.

I back up and hit a wall. He staggers closer and slaps me across the face with the bottle, causing it to shatter. I peek my eyes open to see him getting ready to strike again. I duck down to dodge the hit, which may have just made him angrier. It probably did because he now picks me up by the back of my jacket and lifts me into the air. I can smell the alcohol in his breath. He starts laughing lightly and throws me into a wall. I close my eyes tightly with the impact. I stay where I am and hope he is leaving... He isn't. He kicks my stomach, knocking the air out of me. I take a deep breath and launch at his leg, gripping it and stabbing him with my sharp nails. He yells for a second and swings his leg, smashing me into the door. Some tears of pain slip out and stream down my face.

He picks me up by the front of my shirt and punches my jaw, and then my temple. Why is he so strong? I kick his stomach as hard as I can, causing him to stagger back, almost falling I think.

I lift up my arms and clench the side pieces of my hat. Thinking of Equius and everything he taught me in hopes I can summon the strength I need to use it. He growls at me and rips the hat off of my head and out of my hands, it makes a ripping sound against my nails.

"The fuck is this supposed to be?" He scowls. "G-Give it back." I cry. He snickers and throws it on the floor before slamming me onto the ground. No... No.. It's happening.. He just had to remove the hat... He starts to walk out of the room. Too bad for him I am loosing control. Seriously, I have no idea what's going on. My vision if blurry and almost as if it is lagging. Leaving streaks of color as I pass by objects and walls. Whatever is happening. I can't control it anymore. I race up behind him and jump onto his back, digging my nails deep into his skin. He wobbles around, trying to throw me off but I stay put.

I Start scratching his neck and his face. I can feel his blood getting thicker underneath my nails.

I can't really explain anything. Just.. Blood. And yells..

Until... Finally.. I feel the hat being put back on my head. Meulin... My vision goes dark and I fall to the floor, not really feeling the impact. I snap back to normal in a matter of seconds. Meulin picks me up and runs into my room. I look over her shoulder, still in shock of everything that just happened and see him coming after us. She locks the door behind us and quickly unlocks my little door, setting me inside my tunnel. He kicks the door, almost knocking it in. She jumps at the sound and closes the little door. I hear the clicking sound of the lock and the sound of him kicking the door again.

"Run." She whispers to me. There is another bang, a much louder one. I think he kicked the door in..

I try to see through any cracks in the little door, but there aren't any. I guess it's good that I can't see it. I hear several sounds of him hitting her. More tears stream down my face and I change positions to be on my knees. I hear another slap. "M-Meulin!" I scream. More and more painful sounds follow.

"Meulin! No!" I scream some more. He doesn't let up. It's like he is keeping pace.

"Leave her alone!" I cry. "Nepeta just run!" She yells. I swallow the lump in my throat and rest my head on the door. "I love you Mew." I say and turn around.

I climb up to my little hide away of a room and hug my knees. Something makes a loud buzzing against my leg. Did I.. I had my phone with me the whole time?! Oh I wish I had called the cops!

At least a can now. But right now, Karkat is calling me. I take a deep breath and answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I thought you were gonna call." He says. "Sorry. I just.." I stop when my voice cracks.

"..Are you ok?" He asks. I cover my mouth and sniffle. "Yeah, but I can't really talk right now.." I answer. "I'll see you lat-" I hear a slam followed by a scream of pain. "Nepeta?" He asks.

I set the phone down and hug my knees tighter, letting out a sob. "Nepeta! What the fuck is going on?!" He shouts. I lift my head and take a deep breath. "Karkat.. Get help.. Please.. I can't.." I cry.

"The fuck?! Uh ok. I'm gonna hang up now. I'm gonna call the cops so don't worry." He says.

"Can you call me back after that?" I ask. "Yeah." He answers and hangs up.

== Be Karkat later, but not too much later.

When I get to her house I race straight to her room. The police are already here and arresting someone. Meulin is laying on the floor with bruises on both sides of her face and blood coming out of her ears.

She is in front of Nepeta's little door thing. I run up to it and see if it is locked. Which it is.

"Nepeta! Nepeta are you up there?!" I shout. I wait a second and hear some sliding sounds.

"Karkitty?" She chokes out form the other side. "Nepeta where is the key? I'm gonna get you out of here now." I say. "Sh-She had it." She is crying. I look at the floor and search for the key around the area Meulin is. Yes! I pick it up and unlock the little door. Nepeta looks like she was beat pretty bad to. Her face is soaked in tears and there is a stream of blood coming down from her temple. She looks up at me causiously, like she is afraid of seeing anything. I hold out my arms and try to smile.

She leaps at me and wraps her arms and legs around me tightly as she begins to sob.

I hold her gently, not wanting to hurt any of her wounds despite how releaved I am to see her in one piece. "Thank you." She whispers beneath the cries. "It's ok Nepeta. Everything is ok.." I say quietly. This is all my fault... I could have stopped this... Why didn't I?


	24. Chapter 24: Comforting

Finally everything has settled. It is almost 1 AM and Nepeta is laying on my bed. She looks heart broken. Meulin in alive, and in the hospital right now. Nepeta's injuries are not too bad but she still looks like she is about to die. I sit down next to her and she glances over at me.

"Karkitty?" She asks. "Yeah?" I reply. "Meulin is gonna be alright isn't she?" She asks, her voice cracking somewhere in the middle of the sentence.

"Of course she is. They said she will be fine." I answer. "...What am I gonna do now?" She asks. Her eyes are tearing up. It is about time too.

She had a almost straight face this entire time, it looked like she was frozen in shock.

"Your gonna stay here. I don't want you going back home until you are ready to face that scene." I answer. "But. I don't want to be trouble. Is there really room here for me to stay?" She asks.

"Of course. I'm not giving you a choice in the matter. You are staying here and that's that. You should really get some sleep." I answer and stand up. She swings her feet off of the bed like she is about to get up. "What are you doing?" I ask. "Getting up. You should get to sleep in your own bed." She answers. "No, you can take it for the night. I'm gonna get a sleeping bag out of the closet." I reply and do exactly what I said I would do. When I look up from the ground after setting it up she in hunched over so much she is practically staring at her stomach. "K-Karkitty?" She asks.

I stay on my knees but straighten up to get closer to her. I set a hand on hers so she knows I'm listening. "Can I cry now?" She asks. "What on earth makes you think you have to ask? Of course you can cry!" I answer. In just a few seconds I see tears falling to the floor. Soon after that she lets out a loud sob. I quickly scooch back a bit as she drops off of the bed and to her knees. I catch her into a hug right away and she clings to me. She grips the back of my shirt in tight fists and sets her forehead against my shoulder, hiding her face from me. She bellows and screeches as my shoulder gets soaked in her tears. All I can do is hold her. So I do.

I want to cry myself, hearing her pain pouring out is killing me. It's like a knife I stabbing me through the heart. I begin to tear up as I pet her head gently. I have to wonder... If she felt the need to ask if she could cry, how long was she holding it in? Is this going beyond tonight? It might not be, but something tells me it is. She has been through a lot. I remember everything she has told me in the past.

"I can't look weak"

"They forced me on top of him"

"She hasn't been the same since that night"

"We are really close, so I just can't stand the idea of being apart for 4 years"

"They took him away"

"But for some reason he just looked at her and said the room was clear"

I think she has been trying to be strong this whole time. For the people around her no doubt.

"I'm so sorry Nepeta... I'm so sorry.." I mutter. "Wha-what are y-you sorry for?" She asks in between cries. "If I had come over I could have stopped it.. But I just went home.. I could have saved you..." I reply, on the verge of tears myself. "It's not your fault.. You didn't know." She replies. We both start making light sobs. "It's not your fault... You could have been hurt if you were there.. I wouldn't want that." She cries. "I'm sorry anyway. I'm so fucking sorry.. For everything..." I reply. Her hands are cold and her tears are warm. Her cries are high pitched and fading slightly. "Kiss it all better.." She whispers. Probably talking to herself, but it still strikes a chord with me. She repeats it a few more times as her sobs fade into soft cries. She whispers it one more time before I push her back softly and press my lips against the bruises on the side of her face. When I sit back her eyes are wide.

"W-what was that for?" She asks softly. "You said to kiss it all better." I answer. Her face gets tinted with blush, as if the sobbing didn't do that enough. I smile gently at her for a short amount of time before breaking the silence. "We should get some sleep." I say. She nods and crawls back onto the bed. I get settled in the sleeping bag and start to drift to sleep.

"Thank you." She whispers. I smile softly at her words and let myself sleep.

== Be Nepeta

When I wake up I find a face full of Karkat's shirt. My eyes widen and I pause for a second to see what is going on. His arms are wrapped around me and we are pressed against each other, I think on his bed.

I could never forget what happened last night, so that isn't the issue. But how did we end up like this?

I would remember if I was awake for it so he must have climbed up here while I was sleeping.

I try to wiggle out of his arms but it doesn't do anything but wake him up.

He rubs his eyes before looking down at me and seeing my confused face. "Oh sorry. I uh.. You were having a bad dream so I uh.." He trips over his words and sits up. I sit up along with him and we both scooch back when we see how close that puts our faces. He however falls off of the bed.

I just giggle and hop off to sit next to him. Before he can say anything there is a knock on the door.

"Come in." I continue to giggle. Kankri opens the door and steps in. "What happened to you?" He asks Karkat. His feet are still on the bed so he looks funny. That's why I'm still laughing.

"I fell." He grumbles and swings his legs to the ground, spinning himself around to face Kankri as he does so. "What do you want?" He asks. "Oh, right. Pardon the intrusion of whatever it is that you were doing but I wanted to ask what you would like for breakfast. Also I wanted to let you know I called the school for you Nepeta, you can take as much time out as you want. And Karkat, since we have a guest for the time being you are staying home for the day as well." He explains.

"Thank you." I reply. "Fine whatever." Karkat says. "And breakfast?" Kankri asks again.

"I don't care. Nepeta?" Karkat replies and turns to me. "It doesn't matter to me." I answer.

"Are eggs alright then? I would make something nicer but I need to get going shortly." He asks.

"Tsk tsk tsk! You need to get going don't you? Meulin does this all the time and she is always late." I stand up and walk towards him as I continue to speak. "You are not gonna be late on account of us. I can cook just fine on my own and I'm sure Karkitty can help if I need it." By the time I pause right there we are down the stairs. My hands are on his back to make sure he keeps walking.

"Now where is your bag? You must have one." I ask and pause our movement. I don't let him say anything when he points to a book bag on the counter. I pick it up and continue to push him.

"Now shoo shoo shoo and don't you dare be late!" I command and shove the bag against him when we reach the door. I open it and push him out, he reaches to a stand next to the door quickly and grabs his keys at the last second. I turn around and sigh, ignoring Karkat completely for the moment.

I scratch the side of my head, leaving my fingers hidden by hair as I walk into the kitchen.

"Ok!" I beam and slam both of my hands on the counter. He just stares at me, leaning back a bit like he is trying to keep his face away from me. Funny little guy. "What should we make?" I ask, sounding much calmer. "I really don't care." He answers, now walking into the kitchen beside me.

"Pancakes it is then!" I beam.

Some time passes as we gather everything we need and I hope I'm remembering the right measurements. When everything is together and I have started mixing he breaks the silence.

"Nep." He starts. "Yeah?" I ask. "Are you ok? You seem really happy." He asks. "How is that weird. I'm always happy." I giggle. "Nepeta. Come on, you know what I mean." He replies.

I let go of the spoon and turn to him. "I don't want to be that girl that gets hurt easy. I'm not a damsel in distress and I refuse to look like one. It is simple as that." I explain. "But Nep. You wont be weak for letting some emotion show. It happened last night. You can be sad for a little while." He replies.

I sigh. "Meulin has tried to tell me the same thing. It's not really something I choose to do anymore. I just.. Mute it out the best I can." I explain some more. We both stay quiet for a minute until he starts walking away. I feel like this is awkward now... I take a pinch of flower and flick it on the back of his head. He stops and slowly turns around like I just challenged him to war. I smile and he reaches for the flower as well. He flicks it in my face and now. It. Is. Ooooonn. I grab a small hand full and throw it at him. Next thing I know we are having war. Each of us are hiding from each other behind the breakfast bar. We both have a bowl with supplies in it. He has more because he is on the kitchen side though. I take a hand full of actual pancake batter and plop it down on his head.

"Gah! Shit that is slimy!" He shouts. I just start laughing. Uuuntil he returns the favor by dumping a ton of flower out of it's box and straight onto my head. Followed by a splash of water to make it just as slimy I gasp at the cold water and stand up. I race around the bar and grab a carton of eggs.

"Oh shit." He says right before I start pelting him with the eggs. He drops his supplies and covers his face with his forearms. "Take your eggs like a man mother furricker!" I cackle.

He stands up with a jug of milk that was next to him and and takes the eggs to his chest as he walks over to me. I close my eyes to prepare for the dumping of the milk and grip the egg in my hand tightly. He swats the carton out of my other hand and holds my wrist, standing very close to me now.

He just stands there looking down at me. I try to back up but we just end up pressed to the counter, our bodies almost against each other I open my eyes and look up at his smirk. He raises an arm and pours almost all of the milk on my head. I close my eyes again as he begins pouring it.

I hear him starting to laugh as he runs out of milk and sets the jug on the counter behind me. I shake my head to flick off as much milk as possible. He doesn't really move besides leaning his head away to avoid the flying drops. When I stop shaking he starts laughing. I smash the egg I still have against the side of his head and he silences. In return I start laughing at him. "How the fuck am I gonna get this shit out of my hair?" He asks and steps back, running fingers through his eggy hair.

"I think we both need a shower now.. And mop." I giggle. "Yeah, no kidding." He replies.

"You can go shower while I clean this place up." He says and looks around the kitchen which is now covered in flower, eggs, and milk. Joy. "Uh, what about my clothe?" I ask. "You can wear some of mine until yours our clean. We can go back to your house later to get your stuff though." He answers.

I nod and head up the stairs. I wonder what all of his clothe will actually fit me well enough.

I grab a random pair of jeans and a striped black and gray long sleeved shirt.

== Be Karkat

Finally. Gog that was a pain to clean up. At least it's done. What is taking Nepeta so long in the shower anyway? I gotta get this egg out of my hair. I walk up to my room and find her putting a shirt on over some of my jeans. She is facing the other way so I only saw her back but I am still blushing...

She turns around and blushes a bit. "Eh! How long were you standing there?!" She asks.

"No no no don't get the wrong idea! I literally _just_ got here." I explain, holding a hand out to stop her.

"Oh phew! Well uh.. Is it alright I chose this to wear?" She asks. The jeans look pretty baggy on her but they aren't too big. And same with the shirt, but I like my shirts to be loose on me so the fact she is even smaller then I am makes it look pretty big. "Yeah. Doesn't matter to me." I answer.

Fuck why isn't the blush going away? She looks so cute... No! Karkat, stop thinking about that. Stop it right now. "I uh, I'm gonna go shower now." I say and grab some clothe before going to the bathroom.

When I come back to my room she is sitting on the bed, texting someone with a wide smile on her face.

"Hey." I say and sit next to her. "Who's that?" I ask. "Hehe, hi Karkitty. It's Kancritter. He wanted to check up on us but now we are just having fun." She answers. "Woah woah woah. How is it possible to enjoy a conversation with Kankri?" I ask. "Don't be rude Karkitty. He is pretty pleasant as long as you remember to stop him before he goes on too big of a rant." She replies.

"Okay, I get that. But what do you even talk to him about?" I ask some more. So many questions.

"Just.. People. He doesn't know it but I am getting all kinds of gossip from him! At least I don't think he knows. He would probably think it could be triggering so I doubt he would gossip on purpose." She answers. I'm just gonna move on now. "Do you wanna go get your stuff?" I ask and stand up.

"Sure." She answers and puts the phone in her pocket as she stands.

We stroll over to her house pretty quietly. When we get to the door she stops and takes a deep breath. "Do you want me to grab what you need?" I ask. "I'll be fine. But can you stay with me?" She replies. I nod and she opens the door carefully. We slowly walk in, I would be going faster if I didn't want to say next to her for this. It was only last night and she is having to face it already.

She pauses when she looks at certain things. They must be triggering some memories.

When we get to the back of the room where the turn to the hall is and Meulin's door is, she freezes.

Shit. If the hat isn't helping this then I guess I have to try something. I gently grab her hand, giving her a small smile when she looks over at me. She smiles back at me despite the fear I can see on her face.

She takes another deep breath as her smile fades and she starts walking again.

I make sure we don't let go of each other's hand to keep her calm. She lets go when we walk into her room. I wait near the door as she begins to gather her things into a small backpack. A few sets of clothe, not knowing how long she will be staying. Some pajamas, her sketchbook and pencil case, a weird looking set of headphones that are already plugged into a iPod. And then we walks past me to grab her tooth brush out of the bathroom. She seems eager to get out of here, however, she takes one last look back at her dark room. Staring at the drips of Meulin's blood on the floor. I'm assuming it is Meulin's, I don't think Nepeta had any blood on her. That spot on her eyebrow yeah, but that's it. To my knowledge anyway.

"That's what I was gonna ask you about." She says quietly, pointing at her shipping wall. I take a closer look to see it's main ship currently is me and Terezi.

Heeeeeell no.

I put a hand on her shoulder, she basically ignores it but she does end up moving. We pass by Meulin's room and she makes a squeak sound. This must be killing her.

I put my arm around her to have one hand on each shoulder and help her keep moving.

When we make it out of the house she clearly has her brave face back on. Well, it seems she has 2 types of brave faces. The one she had inside where even though she is hurting, she toughs it out to be strong. And then the one she has now where she is pretending to smile, and doing a good job of it, so nobody thinks anything is wrong. The way I'm thinking of it is like a glass box she lives in. It keeps people out but lets them think they have entered it, lets her continue to bond. But since it is glass, you have to break it before it can open. She bonds and attaches to people easily, so I think the glass is either really thin to not block out much, or it is really thick to block out everything without you knowing. I haven't made my way through it yet, and I don't know if I really want to. But I know it is there.

Why on earth would she be shipping me with Terezi? We can't stand each other. It's a fact. Maybe because of that whole guys tease you when they like you thing. Terezi practically is a guy with personality so I wouldn't be surprised if thats where Nepeta got the idea. But it is so not gonna happen.


	25. Chapter 25: Seeing Meulin

When we get back to Karkat's house I start wondering what I am going to do there. When do I get to see Meulin? When will she be ok again? When will I be ok to go home? I mean, I can go home whenever I want really, I just can't face it. Not alone. I barley made it so calm today, if it wasn't for Karkat I would have ended up dropping to my knees and crying. I'm glad he was the one who called. He is helping me, making me feel like it might be ok after all. It feels like my world is ending right now, and I don't want to have to face that. But I don't feel like I'm alone anymore. But I still feel like it's my fault. Like I could have done better. If I had put my fighting into use I might have beat him. But I just froze. Why did that happen? Was my mind messing with me? Was there some sort of past memory coming up? I can't really tell. I just hope it will all be ok. Really be ok.

I'm sitting on his bed next to him, he has his left leg up on it and his right in hanging off.

He also has his computer on his lap but I'm not sure what he is doing. I don't really care right now, I am too lost in thought. I am laying back just as much as he is but my legs are tucked up. If I sat up straight I could be hugging them but he and I both are leaning against the wall behind the head of the bed. I have my headphones in and I have already zoned everything he could be doing out. My phone is in my pocket so if I get a call it will vibrate and hopefully be louder then my music.

Most of it is my own singing, I like listening to it to remember how I felt in the past. they tell me stories, even though to everyone else it is just singing. To me it is my past. There are lots of songs and I can hear my voice improve as I get older. I hope that in a few years I can sound like a real singer. Art is my calling and my passion, along with shipping of course, but if I'm gonna listen to my voice like I do, I don't want to hurt my head. I don't sound bad or anything I don't think, but the only song that came out smooth was the one I sang for Equius before moving. The others are nice I guess but they sound a little shaky I guess. I don't know how to explain. It kind of just is.

He elbows my arm to get my attention. I take out the headphones and he points to the door. I didn't even hear Kankri getting here. "Oh, hi Kancritter." I say. "Hello, I wont be here for long. But I wanted to know if you would like to see Meulin tonight?" He asks. I take in a deep and very fast breath. "Yes." I nod. "Alright. When I get back from school we can go to the hospital." He replies and closes the door behind him as he leaves. "You gonna be ok?" Karkat asks.

"Yeah. I need to see her." I answer. I turn to my head to look at him, his head is already turned to me and by me turning mine to look at him our noses brush against each others. We both blush a bit, me more then him I think. I can't really tell since there isn't a mirror in here. We both turn away quickly almost at the exact same second. I feel so embarrassed right now it isn't even funny. My phone starts ringing, thank god because the silence was getting very very awkward.

"NEPETA!" 3 voices scream into the phone before I can even say hello.

I hold the phone away as they all begin freaking out loudly, it is so loud Karkat can easily hear it.

"Calm down calm down! What are you saying? I can't hear you when you all talk at once." I cut them off. "Nepeta who is the bitch that attacked you?!" Vriska asks. "Vriskers? Hi. I'm guessing Fefurry and Furezi are with you?" I reply. "Answer me!" She yells. "Calm down. Everything is fine, really. I'm ok now, and Meulin is in the hospital recovering to my knowledge." I explain.

"Where even are you?!" Feferi takes the phone from Vriska. "I'm staying with Karkitty for a few days. I don't know how long though, I don't want to be home yet." I answer. I hear some giggles fly around before Terezi cuts them off. "Are you sure your ok though? When we heard what happened it scared the fuck out of everyone." She exclaims. "I'm sure, don't worry. Wait. How did you hear about it anyway?" I ask. "Do you really think I can know Karkles for all these years and not have Kankri's number? Karkles wouldn't answer so I called him and he was in a panic. Took forever before he would explain." She explains. "So are you sure your ok? He made it sound really bad." She asks. "I'm sure. You really shouldn't worry so much." I reply.

"It's just, we remember what you said on spring break. So if your lying-" Feferi jumps in.

"I'm not lying. I'm really ok. I'm gonna go see Meulin in a little bit. I'll see you guys at school." Nepeta says, not only cutting off Feferi but hanging up swiftly after finishing her sentence. I look at her with confusion and wait for her to explain herself. She keeps looking straight ahead for a minute before looking at me. "Sorry." She says.

"Really? That's what you think you need to say? You don't have to apologize. You do need to explain though. Why would you lie to them after knowing they would be able to comfort you?" I ask.

"It's complicated.. I know they wont judge me for being scared or upset. I'm just in the habit of turning people away still. I've gotten better since I moved here. Meulin doesn't have to get to me to talk, I just do now." She answers. "Well.. I guess that's fine and all but if your working on it you should start by telling your friends." I reply. "Yeah.. Later. I just want to be happy right now." She says. "Ok." I reply and we both get back to what we were doing before.

== Be Meulin

The room is long sideways, and very white. I lay in the hospital bed with bandages around my ears.

I wish they would remove the bandages so I could hear. Everything is silent to me right now.

I could remember the night clearly if I wanted to, but I don't want to think about it. All I want is to know that Nepeta is ok. I blacked out after a bit and I have no idea what happened.

I close my eyes and yawn. At this point my shoulder is being shook by Kurloz.

He has a worried look on his face. I smile at him and sit up, I say hello of course. I hope its coming out right, like I said. I can't hear. He expression drops even further and he starts signing.

"I'm glad your ok." He begins. He taught me some basic signing already so I do my best to reply with it. "Thanks!" I reply. "Did they.. Show you your chart?" He asks, avoiding eye contact.

"No. Why?" I ask in reply. "Well. Do you want to know? They said I could tell you." He says.

"Of course I want to know! Is something wrong with me?!" I ask. He shakes his head and looks down. I put my hand on top of his with worried eyes. "Your deaf." He signs. I stare at him with wide eyes. He has to be joking.. He has to be.. No.. Oh my god.. This isn't something you joke about. I know that. I'm... I'm deaf.. I cover my mouth and silently start crying. I guess I can't tell if I'm silent or not though. I have a straight face and wide, watery eyes.

Kurloz's mouth cracks open like he wants to say something, of course he doesn't. But he doesn't even lift a hand to sign. He does however rush into a hug, petting the back of my head. I'm really glad he is the one telling me. Although I thought I liked someone else... I completely forget about him when I'm with Kurloz. It's so nice to have him here with me. I really am a hopeless romantic, so being with someone like this makes my heart sore. And not only is he the one here, he is the _first_ one here. I would be wondering why Nepeta isn't here yet, but knowing her friends, she is probably stuck at home with them worrying over her. She may never admit how scared she is, or how she flipped out last night. But it's ok, because I know. I just hope she is with them and not in a room here...

Kurloz lets go and kisses my forehead. I wipe my eyes and smile at him. I don't think I'm crying anymore... Oh my god I like him! I really do like him! I thought I might but this is the conformation I needed! Eeeeee!

I smile even bigger as I realize this, I think I'm confusing him though. But that's ok! It only needs to make sense to me. The door suddenly bursts open with Latula leading the march of my friends.

I am soon wrapped up in one big group hug. When it breaks apart I watch their mouths moving, I guess they don't know. Kurloz has a look on his face like 'What is wrong with you all?' and it's sweet he is thinking that. He quickly signs to me while they start arguing with each other and trying to talk to me. "Should I tell them now?" He asks. I smile calmly and nod.

None of them can read signs very well but since Kurloz has been hanging out with us all more I think they have the basics. At least most of them do. He claps over his head, it must have been loud because they all shut up and look at him. He signs and only a few nod with real understanding.

I can tell they don't really get it, so I open my mouth and try speaking. I don't know how it sounds.

I think they get it though. Kurloz look at me like he's sorry for me having to speak up and everyone else is just in shock. I smile at them to show I'm ok and I see a flash of guilt wipe through the group. I wish I knew what they were saying...

I can't tell if I'm ok with this or not. I mean, I feel fine but at the same time it feels sooooo weird.

Not hearing... I can never hear anything ever again... This is kind of freaky...

Suddenly Kankri walks though the door with Nepeta and Karkat behind him. My face lights up when I see them. I see Nepeta's mouth open like she says something and everyone takes a step or two back while she jumps onto the bed and clings to me. I hug her back just as tightly and sigh with relief.

She pulls back and I wipe her teary eyes before she starts crying. I'm ok with it but she always feels bad when crying around other people. She smiles and starts talking, Kurloz puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Behind her I can see Kankri talking with Meenah and Latula, they are probably explaining everything. Not that there is anything to explain besides the fact I can't hear.

Nepeta pauses and looks at Kurloz, then at Kankri, listening to whatever he is saying.

Her eyes water more and she looks at me, I don't even let her try to speak and just hug her again.

I feel her shake a little, trying not to cry I bet. Or she is giving in and is actually crying. I wish I could hear her. I really really want to hear her voice...

I feel my self tearing up and soon I start to cry softly. I guess she is hearing that because she pulls back a little and we just stare at each other. I know everyone else is watching but I really don't care right now. We just stare, and then we starts laughing. We just burst into laughter and tears. Don't ask why we are laughing at the same time. It's just what we do. I think we're laughing at each others crying face. We continue to laugh and cry for who knows how long before calming down and smiling at each other. I look around the room, seeing my friend's smiling faces. A few of them are tearing up at the sight of us. I feel so loved. So many people are here. Back home the only one that would have come is Nepeta. This is just so nice. I feel at home more then ever with these people.

I smile at them and they smile back. I suddenly get a blast of an idea. Karkat came here with Nepeta and she only showed up when Kankri did. She is staying with them!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

MOG MOG MOG! She is staying with Karkat!

She paps me and I stop and open my eyes. Shit I was squealing out loud. Karkat has a raised eyebrow, but I just stare at him with a big grin. This is purrrrrrrrrrrfect!

I quickly turn to Kurloz and start signing. "Keep an eye on Nepeta and Karkat fur me! MOG! My shipper instincts are going nuts here! MOG MOG MOG eeeeeeee!" He looks shocked.

I don't even know how I signed that fast. I just, did, I guess. Maybe my memory is better then I thought! He just nods and looks at them, then at me. I keep changing my gaze from him to Karkat to Nepeta and back again. I see everyone starting to laugh a bit and we all break into laughter. This is amazing! I feel like everything is perfect now! I sigh and lay back. I'm tired now. So many feels just bounced through me within 5 minutes or less. So crazy. I close my eyes and stretch my arms out above my head. When I open my eyes I see their calm faces and I smile even more. Karkat puts a hand on Nepeta's shoulder and says something, whatever it is she climbs off the bed and gives me one final hug before bouncing over to Karkat and leaving. He waves at me and I wave back, Kankri does the same and follows them out. I close my eyes and sigh lightly. I crack my eyes back open and I see everyone waving goodbye and exiting. I wave back and smile of course. However Kurloz waits until most of them are out of the room before kissing my forehead and leaving as well. I soon drift off into more sleep.

**((Ok so it wont be relevant for 3 or 4 more chapters but since I am trying to write as many as possible at once I would like to get opinions here. I have an idea for a certain chapter that may start Kankri actually getting a relationship. I don't know how long that will take but none the less.**

**Only problem is that I have two different roads for it to go down. He could be with either Meenah or Cronus. Therefore since I can't decide between to two I would like any of you people to let me know. The ship with more votes will happen so please speak up. And don't say "whichever is easier for you to write" because I have many ideas for both and there isn't one that's easier or better than the other. Sorry this took up so much of your time but this will be a huge effect in the story. Thank you all!))**


	26. Chapter 26: Chats and dinner

I know I didn't actually know her, but I'm still in a mild shock about Meulin. I mean, she was beat in the head so much her ear drums broke. How the fuck does that happen? I'm walking with Nepeta and Kankri back home but he's farther behind us so we can talk. Not that we have been saying anything. I feel like I should say something to her, I can't tell if she is sad or not.

"...Are you ok?" I ask awkwardly. "Yeah. I'm much better now that I've seen her..." She answers. "Good.. Well.. How about we do something tomorrow? Like, the group of us." I ask. She turns her head to me before I say the group part. "Yeah. I'd like that" She smiles. I just nod and soon we get home.

As we walk through the door a random thought occurs to me.

"Hey Nep? What was Meulin squealing about?" I ask. She blushes a bit and waves her hands around as she speaks. "That's just what she does when she gets excited about a ship. Nothing to worry about hehehe." She laughs nervously. I don't understand shipping at all. "Uh. Ok." I reply.

"So what do you want to do tomorrow? I need to see if everyone else if up for it." I change the subject. She instantly looks more comfortable when my sentence finishes.

"Oh, well it doesn't really matter to me. If I get to choose it would just be going outside or to an art museum." She answers. "Hm. We can talk to everyone and see, that might actually work." I reply.

She smiles at me and nods. We both go straight to my room and pull out my laptop. I don't know why she didn't bring hers.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] has opened a memo

CG: COME ON GUYS HURRY UP AND START RESPONDING. I KNOW YOUR LOOKING AT THE MEMO AND JUST NOT REPLYING

TA: fiine kk. What2 thii2 about anyway?

CG: WELL :33 karkitty wants us all to hang out and do something tomorrow so we need to talk ideas!

CC: N-EP-ETA?

CG: :33 yup!

CC: O)(! I FORGOT YOU W-ER-E AT KARCRABS )(OUS-E

CG: YES SHE IS. NOW CAN WE GET DOWN TO BUISNESS?

GC: HOW LONG 4R3 YOU GONN4 B3 TH3R3 4NYW4Y N3P?

CG: :33 until im comfortable going home

TA: why wouldnt you be comfortable at home?

GC: GOD SOLLUX YOU N33D TO G3T CONN3CT1ONS. W3 4LR34DY KNOW

TA: know what? and shut up

CG: CAN WE NOT EXPLAIN RIGHT NOW?

CG: :33 no its fine! My uncle was drunk and attacked me and meulin last night. Shes in the hospital and im kind of scared to be at home right now.

TA: oh 2hiit.. are you ok?

CG: :33 yeah! im fine now. I just saw meulin so im doing much better. and he didnt hurt me near as much as he did her

TA: that2 good II gu22

CG: CAN WE GET BACK TO BISUNESS?

CA: wwait wwhat happened?

CG: OH MY GOOOOD

CA: wwhat? I just got here wwhat happened?

CC: ILL T-ELL YOU LAT-ER -ERIDAN

CA: ok I guess. so wwhats this all about?

CG: WE ARE GONNA GO HANG OUT TOMORROW AND NEED IDEAS FOR WHAT TO DO AND WHEN

CG: NEPETA SAID AN ART MUSEUM OR GOING TO THAT PARK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

CG: :33 but we dont n33d to do those so if you have a better idea please say so!

CC: I T)(INK THAT SOUNDS LIK-E FUN!

CA: wwe could go to the museum and then eat outside

CG: :33 yeah!

TT: WoAh

TT: SoRrY iM lAtE mOtHeRfUcKeRs

CG: ABOUT TIME GAMZEE

TT: I wAs AlL uP aNd SlEePiN aT tAvBrOs PlAcE

CG: WHATEVER. WE ARE ALL GONNA GO TO AN ART MUSEUM AND THEN OUT TO EAT TOMORROW. WANT TO COME?

TT: YeAh!

TT: MiNd If I bRiNg TaVbRo?

CG: SURE WHY NOT

CG: :33 that would be great!

CG: :33 and pawlux! You should s33 if aradia can come!

TA: ok

GC: TH1S 1S GONN4 ROCK! HOW M4NY OF US 1S TH3R3 NOW 4NYW4Y?

CG: :33 lets s33. Me, fefurry, karkitty, ampurra, furezi, aradia, tavros, pawlux, gamzee, and vriskers

TA: vrii2ka ii2 comiing?

CG: :33 well if you guys dont mind I would like to invite her

CC: S)(OR-E! TH-E MOR-E TH-E M-ERRI-ER!

CA: wwhat time are wwe meeting?

CG: WELL WE HAVE SCHOOL DONT WE? WE CAN GO RIGHT AFTER

TA: why not ju2t diitch?

CG: :00 is that a good idea?

TA: well iim a22umiing that you guy2 are 2tayiing home anyway

CG: :/ I was planning on going

CC: R-E-ELY?

CG: :33 well yeah. why not?

GC: 1 THOUGHT YOU WOULD W4NT TO ST4Y HOM3 FOR 4 WH1L3 UNT1L YOUR F33L1NG B3TT3R OR SOM3TH1NG

CG: :33 im fine really!

CA: is no one gonna explain wwhy nep wwouldn't be fine?

CC: I TOLD YOU. ILL -EXPLAIN LAT-ER

CA: im totally lost right noww though!

CG: :33 my uncle was drunk last night and attacked me and meulin. she is recovering well in the hospital and im staying at karkitty's house until im comfortable going home. but you guys need to stop worrying! im hardly hurt at all compared to her!

CA: im sorry nep. I didnt knoww

CG: :33 its really fine!

CC: I HOP-E YOU R-EALLY M-EAN THAT.

CG: :33 i do. really.

GC: TH1S 1S ST4RT1NG TO G3T M3 DOWN. C4N W3 G3T B4CK TO WH4T T1M3 W3'R3 M33T1NG UP?

CG: TRY TO SOUND MORE CONCERNED FOR ONCE. THIS TOPIC IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN JUST JUMP AWAY FROM. ITS SERIOUS

AG: You guys are so predicta8le

CG: WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?

AG: I've 8een reading your conversation since the start moron

CG: AND WHY DIDNT YOU SAY ANYTHING?

AG: 8ecause I wanted to see what was going on

AG: Anyway. If Nepeta is ok with the topic changing you should 8ack off Karkat

CG: :33 well its good im ok with it then!

CG: FINE LETS JUST GET A TIME FIGURED OUT

TA: let2 ju2t meet up at 2 or 2omethiing

GC: OF COURS3 YOU W4NT TO M33T 4T 2 SOLLUX

TA: ii liike the number. 2ue me

CG: WHATEVER. SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD TIME SO LETS JUST GO WITH THAT.

CC: OK!

CA: sure

AG: I'm game

TT: SoUnDs GoOd My MoThEr FuCkIn FrIeNdS

CG: AH FUCK WE HAVE TO GO. IM JUST GONNA ASSUME THE REST OF YOU CAN COME AT THAT TIME SO SUCK IT IF YOU CAN'T.

I close my laptop and look back at the doorway where Kankri is standing. He just told us about going out to dinner.

"Are you ready to go now or do you need to get ready?" Kankri asks.  
"No we can go if that's ok with karkitty." Nepeta replies and looks at me.

"Lets go then." I answer. I start to get off of the bed only to be cut off by Nepeta jumping hands first over my lap, landing on all fours and almost slamming into me. "God Nepeta." I say, words mixing my my large exhale as I get up. "What's wrong?" She asks. Both of us start walking out of the room, Kankri following us down the stairs. "You almost knocked me over." I explain. "Oh. Sorry about that." She replies. I brush it off and we proceed to walk in silence out the door.

When we start driving I turn on the radio and make sure it is louder then Kankri so when he complains about the type of music I choose I wont hear him.

When I start playing "Hurt" Nepeta reaches up from the back seat and changes the station.

I wack her hand away but it's to late. She hits me back and soon we are in a slap fight with Kankri snapping at us and "Primidona" playing as loud as it could be. A few more songs of that style play by the time we stop hitting each other. Which by that point I have wiggled almost completely out of my seat belt and into the back seat.

"Karkitty you have to stay in your seat!" She snaps. "What about you?!" I shout back. She is unbuckled and almost laying down with me leaning over her. Kankri slams on the breaks, sending me back and Nepeta forward. My back hits the dash and Nepeta flies over the middle console of the car, her stomach hits it and stops her. I grunt and she whines within recovery. "Kankri what the fuck!?" I snap. "We are here and you two needed to stop." He snaps back. "Blaaarg." She whines.

"Come now." He says as he gets out of the car. Nepeta and I follow him. She looks fine and normal where as I am still rubbing the back of my head. I don't know how she can just get over things like that. It's scary.

After we get our food and start eating I notice something. Nepeta doesn't use silverware. Why would she not use silverware? "Uh Nepeta. You want to use a fork maybe?" I ask. "Why? My hands aren't dirty and besides, a mighty huntress has no need for such things." She answers confidantly.

"You aren't a huntress Nepeta." I reply. Her face turns into sort of a ".-." look and she just stares at me. "I'm a huntress that can claw your motherfuckin' eyes out." She says bluntly. Holy shit.

I hold my hands up in surrender. "Fine fine." I reply. Her face goes back to normal and we continue eating. That was a quick mood change. God. I wish I knew how to handle her. I mean, this is really strange. _She_ is really strange. I mean yeah my group of friends aren't much better but they are somewhat normal. Interesting names and hobbies I guess but Nepeta... She's just a whole new type of person. Forget weird. She is the most unique person I know.

It's kind of cool.


End file.
